Perception
by Rosalind2013
Summary: Alya finds that knowing Ladybug's secret identity can be rather fun, especially when Marinette denies any attraction to her crime-fighting partner. Loosely connected one-shot collection. Canon divergent AU.
1. Background

**This is planned as a one-shot collection in which Alya is in on Marinette's secret! It takes place after Season 1, but might become AU when Season 2 airs.**

* * *

 **Background**

Marinette sat cross-legged in her floor as she repaired a tear in her father's jacket with expert ease. Tikki munched on a cookie while sitting on the desk, and hummed contentedly.

"So…I know we're still getting used to this Ladybug thing, but I gotta know-" a voice drifted to Marinette from atop her bed. Alya rested her head on her crossed arms, peering at her best friend from atop the mattress.

"Know what?" the dark haired girl asked, blue eyes flashing with confusion as she diverted her attention to her friend.

"What's the deal with Chat Noir?" Alya asked, seeming genuinely curious.

Marinette rolled her eyes, "What about him?" Alya raised an eyebrow, "Well, he obviously has a thing for you, girl. Have you already turned him down?"

The girl giggled in response, "Not exactly? He hasn't said anything, so I haven't needed to reply."

The reporter shook her head, "Oh, girl. That's gonna be one tough convo."

Marinette shook her head, "I don't think so. Chat knows I don't see him that way." Alya watched her, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"And why is that?" she asked. Marinette nearly poked herself with a pin, "What?"

The bespectacled girl shook her head with a friendly smile, "Why don't you see him that way?"

Marinette regarded her disbelievingly. "I love Adrien," she replied, as if the answer should have been obvious.

Alya shrugged "Well yeah, but you can barely say hi to him, let alone hold a conversation with the boy. You don't have a problem talking to Chat Noir, though."

"Because I don't like Chat Noir like that," Marinette insisted. Alya frowned, "What's not to like about him? He's sweet, romantic, head over heels in love with you, and 100% smoking hot."

Marinette looked scandalized, "Alya!"

The reporter fixed her best friend with a level gaze, "Look me in the eye and tell me you don't think Chat Noir is objectively attractive."

"I don't," she insisted, though her gaze flickered to the left nervously.

"You're lying. He's totally your type. Now, look me in the eye and tell me you don't enjoy his company," Alya pressed.

This time, Marinette's gaze didn't waver, "I _do_ enjoy his company, Alya. He's my partner, and I trust him with my life."

A silence settled between the two, and Alya appeared noticeably smug.

"I thought you wanted me to be with Adrien. Now you're trying to get me to notice Chat Noir?" the pig-tailed girl demanded a bit harshly.

"Marinette, I just want you to be happy. This thing with Adrien…It hasn't really gone anywhere yet. I just want to make sure you know you have options. I don't know him, but from where I'm sitting, Chat Noir looks like the kind of guy who could make you happy if you gave him the chance," Alya explained.

"He's a big flirt," Marinette argued weakly.

The blogger chuckled, "Only with you. Cat Boy has never used a pickup line on me, or anyone who submits content to the Ladyblog. Believe me, they'd brag if he did."

"He flirted with Marinette," she countered defensively.

" _You're_ Marinette!" Alya exclaimed with a loud snort.

The girl in question crossed her arms defiantly, "He doesn't know that."

"Maybe he does, subconsciously," Alya offered.

Tikki finally made her presence known, "That could very well be true, Marinette."

The girl looked like she'd been betrayed, "Tikki! You're supposed to be on my side."

The kwami giggled, "I am! You have to admit, Chat Noir can be very charming sometimes." Marinette huffed, "Can we talk about something else, please?"

A chorus of laughter resounded from both Tikki and Alya. "Sure thing," Alya replied goodnaturedly.

"Did you finish the homework?" the blogger asked, successfully changing the topic.

"Yeah, there wasn't an akuma today, so I've been able to get a lot of things done!" Marinette replied with a bright smile.

Alya nodded and gestured to the computer, "Do you mind if I use your computer to work on the Ladyblog?"

Marinette gave a small hum of consent as she continued to meticulously stitch the fabric between her fingers. Alya rolled off of the bed lazily and made her way over to the computer, tapping the keyboard to wake up the screen.

"Oh, girl. This is too much," she deadpanned from her spot at the computer. Marinette didn't glance up, "What?"

Alya gestured madly toward the screen, "How many pictures of Adrien are in this collage? You don't think you have enough posters on the wall?"

Marinette had the good grace to look sheepish, "I think it became part of my décor at some point. It only made sense to have my computer match my room." Alya shook her head, " _Pink_ would've matched your décor."

Tikki remained tactfully silent, and Marinette was eternally grateful that she didn't chime in to take Alya's side.

The future reporter decided to drop the subject and pulled up the webpage that allowed her to monitor the Ladyblog.

"Ooh, lots of comments on yesterday's akuma attack. Time to weed out the trolls," she murmured as she began scrolling.

"I think it's nice that you monitor the comments," Marinette stated with a smile. Alya grinned proudly, "I won't stand for bullying, online or off."

"You're a hero too, you know," Tikki asserted with an encouraging sweep of her tiny arms.

"You're too sweet," Alya responded with a flattered blush.

"Alya, defender of the internet!" Marinette exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air for dramatic effect. The brunette tossed a pillow at her best friend's face.

"Now you're just making fun of me," she complained.

Marinette snatched it out of the air, and giggled. "I'm not! I promise!"

Alya's phone rang, and she answered it promptly. "Yeah, I'm still at Marinette's. Okay, no problem! I'll be there in a few. Love you! Bye." Blue eyes regarded her questioningly, and she shrugged.

"My mom got called into work. Some big food critic stopped by for a surprise visit, so I need to babysit!" she explained.

"Oh! Let me know if you need any help, okay?" Marinette offered, pausing in her stitching.

"I'm a master babysitter, girl. I got this."

With that, she took her leave, patting Tikki on the head before climbing down through the trapdoor. Marinette finished patching up her father's jacket a few minutes later, and flopped down in her computer chair, intent on checking out some of the newest trends.

She tapped the keyboard to wake the screen. Marinette shrieked in surprise and fell out of her chair, staring in horror at the image that had replaced her beautiful Adrien collage as her desktop background.

Instead, a high-definition picture of Chat Noir stared back at her.

"ALYA!"


	2. Elusive

I really enjoy writing Alya.

(I don't own Miraculous)

* * *

 **Elusive**

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

Alya watched in wonder as the magic swirled over the city and set everything right. No matter how many times she saw it, the novelty never seemed to wear off.

She promptly switched off the recording on her phone and turned to watch her best friend interact with her crime-fighting partner.

"Pound it!"

His fingers lingered a bit longer than necessary, and he stared at her longingly as she comforted the akuma victim.

"Good job, Chat!" she praised, and his slitted eyes looked like they would bulge right out of their sockets.

He quickly schooled his expression into a flirtatious smirk, "You must be rubbing off on me, My Lady."

He brought her hand to his lips, only for her to quickly yank it back.

"Down, kitty," she reprimanded him with a giggle.

"See you later, Chat!" she called, before zipping off into the horizon.

Alya frowned thoughtfully as she watched the disappointment flash across Chat Noir's face. He sighed, and a small adoring smile pulled at the corners of his lips.

"See you later, Bugaboo."

"Cute nickname," Alya commented, enjoying the way he flinched when he realized he wasn't alone.

"Uh, hey. You…run the Ladyblog, right?" he asked, sheepishly rubbing his neck.

Something about his mannerisms tugged at her memory, but she pushed it away in favor of finally getting to talk to Chat Noir one-on-one.

"Yep! Alya Césaire," she introduced herself, and extended her hand invitingly. He grinned widely and shook her hand. A firm but gentle grip, she noted.

"Chat Noir, at your service," he stated with a quick bow.

"Are you after an interview? Ladybug won't be back anytime soon," he explained, brimming with what she assumed was false confidence, as his ring beeped, marking that he had two minutes of his transformation left.

"Oh no, I don't need a Ladybug interview. Actually, it would be pretty cool to interview _you_ one of these days," she explained with an encouraging smile. He stared back at her blankly, and pointed to his chest, a question in his eyes.

"Me?"

Alya simply nodded, and an enthusiastic grin stretched across Chat Noir's face.

"Sure! I'm actually free right now. Give me like ten minutes to recharge?"

The blogger laughed, "Sure thing, Chat Noir! Meet me in the park over there?"

"You got it!" he replied before breaking into a run and scaling the first building in his path.

The brunette wandered over to the park and picked out a secluded bench, thinking about how exciting it would be to learn more about Chat Noir. The fans seemed to prefer Ladybug, but she knew how important he was in defeating akumas.

Now that she knew who Ladybug was, her curiosity refocused on the mysterious black cat. Despite his ostentatious behavior, he seemed to prefer to stay out of the spotlight.

He often hung back and allowed Ladybug to handle the press, and Alya definitely wanted to know why.

A few minutes later, he dropped down in front of her, landing in a graceful crouch. His green eyes flicked upward as he met her gaze, and drew up to his full height as he stood.

"You're a lot taller than I thought," she commented. He chuckled softly and took a seat beside her, lounging on the bench in a carefree way that she had to admire a bit, if only for his confidence.

"So I'll ask you a few questions, and you'll answer them. If you want to skip a question, just say 'pass', and I'll move on," Alya explained, hitting the record button on her phone and positioning it so that her interviewee was perfectly framed on the screen.

"Okay. Make sure to get my good side," he joked, tilting his head to the side and shifting into a charismatic pose that could easily belong on the cover of a magazine.

He smirked playfully, and Alya just knew that there would be a Chat Noir fanclub the instant she uploaded this interview.

"Hey Ladybloggers! This is Alya Césaire, coming at ya with another exclusive interview. Chat Noir is here to answer some questions," she announced, while he waved and continued to hold his model-worthy pose.

"We'll start off simple. What's your favorite color?"

He shifted, and looked toward the sky with a candid grin, "Definitely blue."

"What's the best part of being Chat Noir?"

"You mean besides working with Ladybug?" he said with a sly wink.

Alya laughed, "You need a better answer than that!"

He tapped his chin with a single clawed fingertip, "Honestly, I love the freedom. And I get to run off to protect Paris from supervillains. That's pretty awesome."

"Do you and Ladybug hang out when you're not wearing masks?" Alya asked, even though she knew the answer.

"No, Ladybug and I don't know each other's identities," he clarified, his expression shifting from serious to playful.

"For good reason, too. If Ladybug were to see my real face, she wouldn't be able to resist me," he quipped with a flirtatious grin.

Alya's eyes widened at his shameless remark. He was hitting on Ladybug, and didn't seem to mind that she wasn't even there to hear it.

She shouldn't be surprised, since Marinette told her exactly how bold he could be, but it was different to see it in person.

The cat boy had game. How could Marinette be so completely unaffected by his charm?

"What about Cataclysm? Can you tell me how it works?"

He shrugged, "Ladybug's thing is good luck. Her Lucky Charm is creation. I'm basically the opposite of Ladybug. Cataclysm is destruction and bad luck."

"Ah, that makes perfect sense. You guys balance out, then." Alya stated.

"I guess so," he replied with an easy grin.

"Why don't you speak to the reporters after attacks?"

Chat Noir subtly shifted into another – more casual – pose, which she wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't spent so much time helping Marinette stalk Adrien.

"Honestly, I'd rather let Ladybug handle that stuff. I may look like an _attention_ _hound_ , but I'm really more of a _cool cat_ ," he remarked, shooting finger-guns at the camera.

Alya snickered, "Duly noted. Don't you ever wish you got more positive attention? People tend to overlook you for Ladybug."

The blond boy shrugged, his tail flicking behind him. "Nah. She's awesome, and she deserves all the attention she gets. I'm happy as long as she is, so it doesn't _bug_ me too much."

"Oh my gosh, does your tail move?" Alya asked. His eyes widened a bit in surprise at the topic change, clearly displaying his slitted pupils for the camera.

"Yeah. It's good for balance," he explained, cat ears flicking up into an alert position. Alya gasped, "That's so cool! You don't have a tail in your normal life, do you?"

Chat Noir snatched his tail out of the air and held it up for the camera. "Nope. This isn't even a real tail. It's actually a belt."

"How does it move?" Alya pressed.

He smirked coyly, "Magic."

The blogger laughed, "Well, there you have it, straight from Chat Noir himself. Stay on the lookout for more updates! Alya out."

She turned the recording off and placed the phone on the bench between them, so that he could clearly see she wasn't recording anymore.

"Thanks for agreeing to the interview, Chat Noir," she said gratefully.

"No problem. It was fun," he replied, a wide smile stretched across his face.

Alya smiled kindly, "Do you mind if I ask you what's up between you and Ladybug?"

He stiffened, looking very much like a deer in headlights, "Uh…"

The girl crossed her heart, "Strictly off-the-record. Between you and me."

He deliberated for a moment, green eyes darting to and fro. Finally, he sighed heavily, shoulders falling forward in a slump.

"Nothing. There's nothing between me and Ladybug," he finally replied.

"But you want there to be," she finished for him.

He smiled wistfully, "I'm pretty obvious."

She chuckled good-naturedly, "Yeah. That's not a bad thing though. At least you're sincere."

He kicked a rock with the toe of his boot, "She's just so…amazing. She's stronger than anyone I've ever met, and she knows a side of me that no one else really does. She's not afraid to stand up for what she believes in, and I _love_ that about her."

Alya's eyes widened, "You love her."

The superhero shifted, "I didn't say that."

The girl laughed, "You're not as smooth as you think you are."

He gave her a shy smile that looked out of place on Chat Noir's face, "You got me."

"I think it's sweet," Alya cooed.

Chat pouted theatrically, "Glad you think it's funny." Alya's phone buzzed, and she glanced down to the screen to see a text from her best friend.

"I think Marinette misses you," he remarked. Alya looked surprised, "You know Marinette?"

He nodded, "She was targeted by akuma a few times."

Alya gained a mischievous glint in her eye, "What did you think of her?"

He seemed a bit confused, but answered nonetheless. "She's really cool. She thinks on her feet and she's really brave. She kinda reminds me of Ladybug, in a way."

Alya's grin grew even wider as she choked back laughter, "That's high praise coming from you, huh?"

Against everything she expected from Chat Noir, he blushed. Green cat eyes darted down to stare at a spot on the ground, and his ears flattened against his head as his cheeks took on a rosy hue.

He suddenly jumped to his feet, having finally decided that enough was enough.

"Thanks for the interview. I really appreciate it," he said in a rather sincere tone of voice.

Then he was off, leaping across buildings with distinctly feline grace.

Alya finally allowed her laughter to burst free, and wiped at her eyes as her giggles finally died down. She picked up her phone and nearly skipped to the bakery.

"Alya! Where were you?" Marinette asked, looking extremely worried. The brunette proudly presented her phone, which displayed the video she took of Chat Noir.

"Exclusive interview with Paris's elusive superhero," Alya announced excitedly. Marinette rolled her eyes, "Elusive?"

"He poses for photos, but he's never been interviewed before. That makes him elusive. It ups the intrigue," Alya explained.

"Whatever you say," Marinette replied with a laugh.

The blogger grinned, "You didn't tell me his cute little ears were so expressive. And his tail _moves_! How could you leave details like that out?"

The pig-tailed girl snickered, "Cute little ears? Maybe you're the one who should go out with Chat."

Alya shook her head, "Uh-uh. He's _your_ Kitty."

Marinette looked on warily as her best friend's mouth stretched into a diabolical grin. "I asked him what he thought of Marinette."

"You didn't."

"I did. Guess what he said?"

Marinette rolled her eyes, "Something ridiculous?"

"He said you remind him of Ladybug."

Alya laughed while her best friend choked on nothing but air.


	3. Fanclub

**So I don't officially take requests, since I'm just plain unreliable. BUT if you have any ideas for ways Alya could troll Marinette, I'm totally interested in hearing them!**

 **That being said, here's the next installment!**

* * *

 **Fanclub**

As Alya and Marinette walked through the halls of their school, they noticed a distinct change in the color pallet of many students' wardrobes. Rather, they noticed that black seemed to be very _in_ at the moment.

"Alya, what's going on?" Marinette asked, eyeing a girl who walked past wearing all black and a headband with cat ears.

The blogger laughed, "I thought you stayed on top of all the trends, Miss Future Designer."

The girl simply looked perplexed, "I do. That's why I'm so confused!"

Alya shook with laughter, "Marinette, my Chat Noir interview went viral. According to social media, he's the new hottest thing in Paris. His fanclub is small compared to Ladybug's, but it's really growing."

Marinette only looked more confused, "Because you interviewed him?"

Alya laughed and nodded, "Paris got to see a little of his personality, and I guess a lot of people thought he was pretty cool."

The dark haired girl giggled, "Chat Noir? Cool?"

"Are you guys talking about Chat Noir?" a female voice asked.

Aurore Beauréal stood behind them, a pair of cat ears on her head. Alya nodded, and the girl beamed.

"He's incredible," Aurore sighed, a faraway look in her eye. "I've never really seen him up close, so I didn't know how cute he was until I saw your video," she explained.

Marinette looked more lost than anything else, so Alya spoke instead.

"He was really cool about giving me an interview. A really nice guy," she replied, elbowing Marinette playfully.

Aurore promptly sauntered away, leaving the two girls alone.

"What strange world have I awakened to?" Marinette groaned.

"Hey Marinette!"

The girl spun around, her heart racing as she met the vibrant green eyes of her crush.

"H-Hey Adrien! How's up? I mean, what! What's up?" she stammered with a smile that was just a bit too wide.

"I…really don't know. Why is everyone dressed like Chat Noir?" he asked, looking almost as lost as Marinette had. Alya held up her phone proudly, "My interview! His fanclub exploded pretty fast after people saw the video."

Adrien smiled shyly, and it looked much more at home on his face than it did on Chat Noir's.

"They really like him that much?" he asked, a tentative note in his voice.

Alya pushed her previous thoughts aside as she puzzled over his strange reaction to her explanation.

"Yeah, I don't know who _wouldn't_ like him after seeing what he's really like," she explained.

Inexplicably, Adrien's smile grew, "That's pretty great for Chat Noir, huh?"

Marinette looked like she couldn't decide whether to melt into a puddle or join the conversation.

"I guess it is pretty great for Chat Noir. He's just as important as Ladybug. Maybe it's time Paris sees that too," the pig-tailed girl offered with a thoughtful smile.

So she decided to join the conversation. Alya gave her a subtle thumbs-up. Adrien gave Marinette a full smile, dazzling her into silence.

"You're amazing, Marinette," he stated, before strutting off to join Nino.

"Eep!" she squeaked, having lost all control of words. Alya threw an arm over her shoulders and guided her toward the classroom. It wasn't until they were seated that her best friend was able to pull herself together.

"He said I was amazing," she breathed dreamily.

"He did," Alya confirmed.

"He's so perfect," Marinette sighed.

Alya shook her head, "Nobody's perfect, Mari. You're just infatuated."

"You're right," she admitted, looking rather sheepish.

"Do you think I really have a chance with someone like Adrien?" she asked, staring out at the empty classroom.

"Maybe if you start actually talking to him," Alya suggested with a playful nudge.

Marinette sighed, "How do I do that?"

Alya thought for a second, "Just pretend he's Chat Noir, or something."

"That's it! Just pretend he's Chat Noir. No big deal! I talk to Chat Noir all the time," Marinette rambled nervously.

As if on cue, Adrien and Nino entered the classroom. He paused in the midst of their conversation and smiled at Marinette, who waved back nervously. Nino gestured around the room, where most of the girls who had just entered were wearing cat ears.

"Dude, I think Chat Noir has stolen your fans," Nino joked, playfully nudging his friend. Adrien laughed, "I don't mind. Cats are pretty…"

"No, dude." Nino deadpanned.

" _Meow_ -velous," Adrien finished with a devilish smirk that Chat Noir would be proud of.

"If you're going to spout off terrible puns, at least wear these while you do it, Adrikins," Chloé stated as she walked past, snatching Sabrina's cat ears and roughly plopping them on his head.

Alya snickered, "You really do look like Chat Noir."

" _Fur_ real?" Marinette muttered, sarcasm dripping from her words.

They all grew silent and turned to stare at Marinette, who looked utterly unrepentant.

"Nice pun, Marinette. Gotta have a positive cat-itude," he replied with a sly wink.

Marinette's expression remained neutral, "That's gotta be the worst pun I've ever heard."

Adrien swept into a dramatic bow, "I do my best."

"Whatever you say, Kitty," Marinette drawled. Adrien's eyes widened, and Marinette floundered, "I-I mean! Because you're wearing cat ears!"

Adrien relaxed and joined into the laughter with Nino and Alya. The pig-tailed girl flushed with embarrassment, and nervously chuckled along.

"I'm gonna return these to Sabrina," he explained, taking the headband off before walking away.

Marinette allowed her head to drop onto the table, wallowing in shame at her nickname slip-up.

Alya snorted, "Girl, maybe you should pretend he's somebody other than Chat Noir."

Marinette groaned, "I blame you for this."


	4. Denial

**Yeah, this one's a little out there compared to the rest of my one shots so far. Oh well.**

* * *

 **Denial**

Alya Césaire sat on her best friend's floor, surrounded by blankets and pillows while she read their assigned book for class. There was a slight chill in the air, and she was grateful for the warm cup of tea that sat next to her.

"Alya! What is this?" Marinette demanded, hands on her hips in a remarkably Ladybug-like pose.

The blogger seemed utterly unfazed by the volume of the demand.

"What's what?" she drawled, flipping the page of her book.

Marinette plopped down beside her, phone in hand, and a testy expression on her face.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir dating?" the blue-eyed girl read aloud, making air quotes with her free hand.

"Oh, you're talking about my latest post, huh?" Alya responded in a tone that almost seemed bored.

"Yes! We're not dating! You know that better than anyone," Marinette exclaimed disbelievingly.

"Oh, Marinette. As the clueless citizen that I am, I have no way of knowing if Ladybug and Chat Noir aren't dating," the brunette replied with a conspiratorial wink.

The dark haired girl threw her head back with an exasperated growl, "Alya, whatever did I do to deserve this?"

Alya shook her head, "So what if a few people think you're dating him? It's not like dating Chat Noir would be a punishment, Mari. He's a really nice guy."

"But he's not _the_ guy," she argued, pigtails bobbing as she slumped forward. Alya shrugged, "You don't know that for sure until you give him a chance."

Marinette glared at her best friend, "Seriously?"

"Sure. He might actually be the cat's meow," the blogger replied with a cheeky grin.

Marinette very calmly picked up a pillow and eyed it appraisingly. Alya looked on curiously, until she suddenly began bashing her in the head with the fluffy object.

"Ow! Ow! Marinette! Stop!" Alya shouted.

"You deserve it," Marinette giggled.

"You're gonna spill my tea!" the girl complained.

"You should've thought of that before you made a cat joke," Marinette snapped as she continued to mercilessly whack her friend with the pillow.

Alya finally collapsed backward in a dramatic show of defeat.

"Looks like this is the end. Pillowed to death by my best friend," she cried melodramatically. Marinette smacked her one last time for good measure.

Tikki yawned from her spot on the chaise, and Marinette winced sheepishly, "Sorry, Tikki! I didn't mean to wake you."

The kwami blinked, still drowsy from her nap, "It's fine. It was probably time for me to wake up anyway." Marinette presented her with a cookie, which she took with a grateful smile.

"What time is it?" Tikki asked, though she still appeared to be half asleep. Alya shrugged, "Almost nine. Why?"

The kwami thought for a second and turned to Marinette, "Weren't you supposed to meet Chat Noir at the Eiffel Tower soon?"

The girl suddenly jumped to her feet, "Ohmygosh! I forgot!" She immediately began rushing around her room, searching for her shoes.

"Why do you meet him on Wednesdays again?" Alya asked, looking rather confused. Marinette smiled as she finally located her other shoe and pulled it on.

"It's a weekly check-in. We usually sit and talk strategy and catch up. We don't get to talk much during akuma attacks, so the team-building has to happen sometime," Marinette explained.

The blogger nodded, "Of course, of course. That makes perfect sense." Marinette moved toward the window, and Tikki floated up to her.

"Don't forget the food, Marinette," the kwami reminded her. "Oops!" the girl exclaimed as she rushed down the stairs to pack her reusable grocery bag with snacks.

"Ready to go!" she announced, nearing the window again. "Do you mind covering for me if my parents come, Alya?"

Alya waved dismissively, "No sweat, girl. Now hurry along before you're late for your date."

"Tikki, spots on!"

A flash of pink light and a toss of a magic yo-yo later, and Ladybug was zipping over the rooftops.

She was halfway to the Eiffel Tower before she finally realized what Alya had said.

She mumbled under her breath, even though her best friend wasn't there to hear it,

"It's _not_ a date!"

* * *

 **Bonus** :

"Do you keep tabs on the Ladyblog, Chat Noir?" Ladybug asked, never taking her eyes off of the twinkling lights of the city.

The boy who sat beside her let out a breathy laugh, as if he was in on a joke that she wasn't.

"Occasionally."

She finally turned to look at him, meeting his curious gaze with an amused smile.

"Did you see the article that girl Alya posted today?" Ladybug asked, the words slipping out before she could stop them.

"I did," he replied evenly, grabbing another macaroon from the box between them.

They lapsed into silence, the nighttime sounds of the city filling the air with life despite the lack of conversation.

"I was upset that people were making assumptions, at first," the spotted heroine explained. He gave her a small, but genuine smile, "And then?"

"And then I realized that it doesn't matter what they think," she finished, sparks of confidence dancing in her eyes. Chat Noir found it rather hard to breathe when she fixed him with her determined gaze.

He took a shuddering breath as he realized that he'd unconsciously drifted closer to her, and was leaning over the mostly-eaten box of macaroons. He felt a brief moment of panic at his accidental invasion of her space, before it morphed into confusion. She hadn't leaned in, but she hadn't pushed him away yet, either.

The fire in her eyes died down, and her gaze became something more conflicted. "Oh, Kitty," she murmured sadly, reaching out to ruffle his hair before turning her gaze back to the city skyline.

As if her gaze had been magnetic, as soon as it was turned away from him, he was able to draw back into his original position. He shook his head, as if to clear it of the fuzzy feeling, and smirked as he snatched the last macaroon.

"So, apparently I have a fanclub now," he said, holding the treat instead of eating it. Ladybug laughed, "So you do. It's about time they started to notice you."

"I'd be much more satisfied if _you_ would notice me, Bugaboo," he flirted smoothly. Ladybug rolled her eyes and reached for another macaroon, only for her fingers to brush the bottom of the box.

Chat Noir proudly displayed the macaroon between his clawed fingers, "Last one. Wanna share?" The girl in red laughed, "You can have it, Kitty."

"Aw, I thought we could accidentally kiss, _Lady and the Tramp_ style," he joked playfully.

"That only works with spaghetti, Chat," Ladybug replied with a chuckle.

He laughed, nudging her with his elbow, "It was worth a shot."

She joined in his laughter, "It was a _long_ shot."

Chat Noir broke the dessert in half and offered Ladybug the bigger piece. She smiled at his uncanny ability to switch from being a flirt to a perfect gentleman in mere seconds.

She accepted her half of the macaroon, and they both gazed out at the city they were sworn to protect.

Marinette glanced over at Chat Noir, who looked completely at peace surrounded by the twinkling city lights, and realized how date-like it would look if someone snapped a picture of them like this.

"It's _not_ a date!" she shrieked.

Chat blinked, "Are you okay, My Lady?"


	5. Project

**This one-shot is has a little less humor and a little more bonding. It's also a bit longer than the previous stories!**

* * *

 **Project**

If Alya was going to be forced to submit a project for her least favorite subject, at least she was assigned a partner who loved physics.

Though it was a Saturday, she was up bright and early to get a head start on it, not because she was particularly thrilled to do it, but because her partner's schedule was ridiculously packed.

Marinette would probably faint if she ever ended up in this situation.

She approached the imposing looking gate and pushed the button. A severe female voice emitted from the intercom, "State your business." Alya suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, and remained as polite as possible.

"I'm here to work on a physics project with Adrien," Alya replied. There was a pause, and the woman spoke again, "Very well."

With a buzz, the gate swung open, and Alya entered the courtyard of the massive house. When she reached the door, she debated on whether she should knock or try to open it.

She was saved from any further deliberation when Adrien appeared in the doorway, a bright smile on his face.

"Good morning, Alya!" he greeted warmly.

"Morning! Ready to get to work?" she replied, even though she wasn't remotely ready to get to work. His good mood seemed to be contagious.

"Yeah! But first, are you hungry?" he asked as he led her in and up the sweeping staircase. Alya shrugged, "I had a granola bar before I left."

He chuckled, "I'll take that as a yes." He poked his head into a room on the right.

"Gustav, could you prepare a plate to be brought to my room?" Adrien called, into what Alya presumed to be the kitchen.

"Sure thing, Adrien!" The cook responded warmly. Adrien began leading the girl toward his room once again.

As they passed through the door, he turned to Alya with a mischievous grin, "Gustav is awesome. He generally gets me whatever I want, even if it's on my restricted foods list. My dad doesn't have to know."

Alya snickered, "I didn't know you were such a rebel."

Adrien's grin widened to a full-on smirk, "It's the small things."

The reporter whistled in amazement as her eyes roved around his room, "This place is huge."

Adrien's lips quirked up in a wry smile, "And empty."

Alya felt as if she'd been jolted with electricity, and not in a nice way. She reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, I'm just a phone call away."

He schooled his countenance into the normal friendly expression he wore during class, "Sorry about that! You're here to work on our project, not listen to me complain."

Alya wasn't fooled, but decided to play along for his sake. If he didn't want to talk about it, she wasn't going to make him. She plopped down on his couch and began pulling out her binder to find the assignment sheet.

She happened to glance up and caught sight of Adrien's computer monitors.

All three screens were set on different feeds of the Ladyblog. The middle screen was set to her most recent article, the one on the left was the video tab, and the screen on the right stayed on the homepage.

Alya grinned, turning her gaze to Adrien, who was also sifting through his bag.

"So…you like the Ladyblog, huh?"

He paused and looked at her uncomprehendingly, "Hm?"

The girl laughed, "The Ladyblog. Looks like you're really interested in staying up-to-date."

He stiffened, and his eyes darted over to his computer. A look of horror crossed his features as he zoomed over and turned the monitors off.

"Gotta stay on top of the akuma attacks, right?" he said a bit too quickly. Alya narrowed her eyes, a calculating expression on her face.

"Yeah, it's not like you're keeping tabs on a certain superhero, right?" she replied in a singsong voice.

The teen model flushed a bit, "Of course not! Why would you say that?"

Alya's grin grew, "Someone is a major Ladybug fan."

Adrien nervously rubbed the back of his neck, "Isn't everyone? She's pretty awesome."

The blogger gave him a knowing look, "Mhm. She sure is."

"So…Physics?" Adrien offered, a hopeful gleam in his eye.

Alya decided to relent, for a while.

It was close to eleven when they finally decided to call it quits. Alya slouched back onto the couch; feeling like her brain had been fried.

"You okay?" Adrien asked, perpetually cheerful as always.

The girl gave him a quick thumbs-up. Adrien glanced at the clock, and then back at his classmate.

"Um, do you have any plans for today? My shoot isn't until three, so maybe we could hang out?" he asked, looking guardedly hopeful for company.

Alya shot upright as she realized that an opportunity had just presented itself.

"I was actually planning to ask Marinette if she wanted to go out to lunch. You should come with us!" she offered, trying to keep her smile neutral.

"Oh! I wouldn't want to impose," he murmured, having misinterpreted her words to be a refusal.

"No way! I haven't even asked her yet, so technically, _she'd_ be tagging along with _us_ ," Alya explained.

Adrien immediately bounced back, "Lunch sounds awesome." Alya happily dialed her best friend's cell.

"Hey, Marinette! We're going to get lunch, wanna come?" she stated ambiguously.

"Sure!" Marinette replied happily, seeming thrilled at the idea of getting out of the house.

There was a pause, and she spoke again. "Wait, _we_? Who else is coming?"

Alya's grin was alarmingly wide, "I was thinking maybe that café downtown. What do _you_ think, Adrien?"

He watched her curiously, but responded promptly enough.

"Sounds good! I've never been there. What does Marinette want?" he asked, an excited smile on his face.

The brunette held back laughter. "Yeah, what _do_ you want, Marinette?"

"Anything," she squeaked.

"She said anything's good. So I guess we'll see you there, Mari!" Alya stated, hanging up the phone and placing it in her pocket with a satisfied flourish.

Alya walked alongside Adrien as they made their way downtown. It was a bright and sunny day, and the teenage boy was so eager that he had a noticeable bounce in his step.

"Marinette doesn't mind if I come along?" he double-checked.

Alya snorted at the idea of Marinette ever minding Adrien's presence.

"No way! If anything, she's probably thrilled that you're coming," Alya explained, leaving just enough out.

His grin grew impossibly wider, "Really? I always got the impression that I make her uncomfortable."

Alya shrugged, "Mari can be kinda shy sometimes, but trust me, she likes having you around."

Adrien seemed to ponder that for a while, and the blogger nearly had a heart attack as she considered the possibility that she'd said too much.

"Do you think she'd be more comfortable if I wasn't such a stick-in-the-mud all the time?" he asked, looking entirely too cheerful to be putting himself down.

Alya immediately switched into cheerleader mode, "You're not-"

"I can be pretty boring a lot of the time. It's a fact of life," he interrupted, an oddly lighthearted smile in place. Alya tilted her head as she tried to understand the boy.

"Maybe I should cut loose more often," he explained.

Alya smiled and gave him a friendly shove, "I think you should just be yourself."

Adrien laughed, "Careful, I can be pretty annoying."

The blogger snorted, "Somehow, I can't see you being annoying. You're too nice."

"I have a secret love of horrible puns," he replied with a wicked grin.

Alya laughed, "No way!"

"Way," he assured her, mischievous smirk still in place.

It was an expression Alya never thought she'd see on Adrien, and she was almost certain that Marinette wouldn't have been able to handle it.

"As long as you're not worse than Chat Noir, I don't think you'd be annoying," Alya assured him, offering a friendly smile.

Adrien snorted, a rather undignified sound. "What if I'm just as bad as Chat Noir?" he challenged.

The blogger chuckled, "You say that like it's possible."

Adrien's grin broadened, "It'd be a _cat_ astrophe."

Alya stared back at him, a dramatized expression of shock on her face. "Adrien Agreste, did you just pun?"

"Guilty as charged," he replied, looking quite satisfied with himself.

The girl began to chuckle, and he joined in with a heartfelt laugh. Alya had always wondered what it was that drew Marinette to Adrien.

Sure, he was good-looking, but as far as Marinette was concerned, his outer beauty was just the icing on the cake.

Seeing him laugh and smile filled her with a warm, maternal feeling, and she suddenly understood.

At the core of his very being, he was _good_. There was something vulnerable, yet powerful, about the kindness that danced behind his eyes.

A gentle soul like Adrien's needed to be nurtured, and Marinette was nothing if not a nurturer.

They arrived at the café, and Adrien held the door so that Alya could enter first, always the gentleman. Her eyes immediately locked onto Marinette, who was seated on a comfy looking loveseat.

Her hair was pulled into a messy bun, which Alya knew only happened when Marinette hadn't had time to wash her hair and needed to look presentable, and she wore an artfully baggy pink tee shirt.

She hadn't noticed when they walked in, and looked to be totally absorbed in adding sugar to her coffee.

Alya glanced at Adrien and realized that he was watching Marinette with a fond look in his eye. It wasn't much, but it was something, she supposed.

Alya led the way over to the table, pondering the fact that her newfound respect for Adrien made her feel bad for pushing Marinette toward Chat Noir.

Perhaps she could support both boys, and her best friend would pick the one she liked more. Adrien had a head start in that race, but he didn't seem nearly as interested in winning Marinette over as Chat was.

"Hey girl," Alya greeted, watching the dark haired girl jump at the sudden noise. "Oh, hey Alya! A-And Adrien," she tacked on with a bashful smile.

The blond boy didn't seem to mind her stutter, and waved at her cheerfully. Alya strategically took a seat across from Marinette, purposefully staying perched on the end of the booth so that Adrien would be forced to sit next to the pig-tailed girl.

He did exactly as Alya expected, and took a seat next to a very pink Marinette. "I'm actually really excited to try the food here. Nino said it was awesome," the green-eyed boy said; joy radiating from him in waves.

"It is! They have wonderful paninis," Marinette replied as easily as she could.

Alya wondered if it were possible for human beings to spontaneously combust.

"So Adrien and I were talking about puns on the way here. Apparently, he's a fan," Alya added, shooting an encouraging smile in the boy's direction.

There was suddenly a soft dusting of pink on his cheeks as his gaze dropped to the table, "I've literally thought of like ten puns since we came in the door."

Alya snickered as Marinette's eyes widened.

"Go on," Alya prompted.

"Since this is a café, beverage-related puns would be tea-riffic, right?" he began, looking a bit sheepish as he met Alya's gaze.

"Boy, go on and expresso yourself!" the blogger encouraged with an impish grin.

"Where have you bean all my life?" he retorted, mischief dancing behind his green eyes as his lips quirked up in a roguish grin.

Marinette looked torn between rolling her eyes and having a meltdown over the look on Adrien's face.

"That one is _grounds_ for punishment," Alya replied.

" _Pun_ -ishment?" Adrien emphasized, his expression settling into a self-assured smirk.

"I didn't do that on purpose," the blogger said a bit defensively.

"Eh, it's okay. I can tell you have a _latte_ on your mind," he drawled with expert ease.

Marinette groaned and dropped her head onto the table with an audible thump.'

"Stop. I can't take any more," she whined, her voice muffled by the table.

Adrien chuckled and leaned down to Marinette's level, "Sorry Marinette. The last thing I want is to _mocha_ you uncomfortable."

She tilted her head sideways to look up at him and blushed when she realized how close he had gotten.

"Only you could make coffee puns hot," Marinette mumbled.

The blond snickered, looking pretty impressed. "That one was kinda a stretch, but it's awesome that you gave it a _shot_."

Marinette realized her mistake, and looked absolutely mortified. Obviously, she hadn't meant to say that aloud. Alya's grin grew wider as she watched her best friend devolve into a stuttering mess.

Sometimes Marinette made her job too easy.

She stopped the recording on her phone and stashed it in her pocket for safekeeping, sure that it would make for excellent teasing material tomorrow.

She noticed that Marinette seemed to be drowning in half-formed sentences, and decided to throw her a line.

"I think our waitress is coming back. Have you two decided what you want?"

Adrien and Marinette immediately snapped to attention and began combing through the menus. Marinette met her gaze with a grateful smile, and Alya grinned back at her.

What were friends for?


	6. Proximity

**I regret nothing.**

* * *

 **Proximity**

Ladybug's Miraculous Cure had already swept over the city, righting all of the wrongs done by the akumatized super villain. The spotted superheroine crouched down to calm the akuma victim; while Chat Noir helped the target of the attack down from the roof she'd been stranded on.

Alya turned off the recording on her phone and turned her attention to the scene, only to stiffen with anger.

Clinging to the cat-themed superhero in an overly dramatic display of gratitude, was Lila.

"Thank you for saving me, Chat Noir! You're so brave," she enthused, slyly trailing her fingers across his biceps.

He chuckled nervously and tried to step away, "All in a day's work."

She followed closely, draping her arms across his shoulders, "How could I ever repay you?"

"Really, there's no need," He gulped and stiffened as she ran her hands down his chest.

Alya tensed with anger, and was fully prepared to march over there and yank Lila away from the poor boy.

It turned out she didn't have to.

It was at that moment Ladybug happened to look up, and her blue eyes widened as she took in the way Chat's back was rigid with discomfort.

The blogger looked on in awe as Marinette skillfully interrupted whatever Lila was up to by telling Chat Noir that they needed to meet before their transformations wore off.

He gratefully extricated himself from Lila's arms, giving a quick salute before vaulting onto the roofs and disappearing alongside Ladybug.

Alya made her way over to the bakery, knowing that Marinette would arrive soon. She made herself comfortable on the chaise, and set to work editing the newest video to be uploaded to the Ladyblog.

The roof hatch opened, and Ladybug dropped into the room with practiced grace, detransforming as soon as her feet hit the floor.

Marinette sighed as she handed Tikki a cookie and collapsed next to her best friend.

"Rough fight?" Alya asked, smiling knowingly.

"I mean, yeah it was tough, but…" Marinette replied, trailing off at the end.

"That's not what you're thinking about," Alya finished.

"Yeah. I'm worried about Chat," she admitted, pulling her pigtails out and dropping her head onto a pillow.

"Why? Because of Lila?" the blogger asked, putting her phone down and giving Marinette her full attention.

"It's just…he's always such a flirt! He looked so uncomfortable and trapped, though. It wasn't like him," the dark haired girl explained, an expression of concern on her face.

Alya shrugged, "I told you before. I haven't ever heard of him flirting with someone other than you. Cat-boy can dish it out, but I don't think he's very good at taking it."

Marinette scoffed, "I doubt that. Maybe it was just Lila that made him uncomfortable."

The blogger smirked, "Wanna bet?"

Marinette laughed, "I don't think that'd be a fair wager, Alya. I'd win in a heartbeat."

Alya's grin grew, "Then you won't mind putting money on it. Twenty euros says Chat Noir freezes up if you flirt back."

"Thirty says he becomes even more insufferable," Marinette challenged, a competitive gleam in her eye.

Alya extended her hand, "You're on."

Marinette shook on it, feeling that she was going to be twenty euros richer by the time the day was over.

Alya knew better.

She found herself situated in a lawn chair on a roof across from the one Ladybug and Chat Noir usually met on for their Wednesday meetings, armed with a pair of binoculars and her headset.

The sun was in the midst of disappearing below the skyline when Chat Noir arrived on the scene, taking seat next to Ladybug.

"You look as beautiful as always, My Lady," Chat Noir murmured, placing a kiss on the back of her hand.

She tensed and prepared to pull away before she remembered her bet with Alya.

"Seriously, Chat?" she prodded, making sure her sarcasm was soft and teasing.

"Definitely. I'm no photographer, but I can picture you and me together," he stated with a playful wink.

Instead of rolling her eyes at him, she scooted closer so that her nose was inches from his.

"Is that really the best you can do?" she asked, watching his eyes widen with surprise.

A slow smile turned the edges of her lips up, and his breath hitched in response.

"I-I… You…M-Me? Uh, lines up-pick? Gah! P-Pick-up lines?" he babbled, at least ten times worse than Marinette was in front of Adrien.

She chuckled at the irony of the situation, "Yes, Kitty. Pick-up lines. Was that your best one?"

He stared at her uncomprehendingly, his slitted green eyes wide and his face flushed.

"N-No?" he stammered, still in shock from her sudden proximity.

Alya heard it all through the intercom, and almost felt sorry for what she'd done to the cat-boy. Almost.

It was all she could do not to laugh at his misfortune.

Marinette finally realized that Alya had won the bet, and leaned back out of his personal space, gazing out at the city as he collected his wits.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, and Ladybug took great care to avoid looking at Chat, in hopes that he would find his words sooner that way. The sky was painted with a blaze of pinks and oranges as the sun disappeared from view and the moon emerged to signify the beginning of nighttime.

"I'm sorry, Ladybug," he murmured quietly.

She turned her attention to the boy beside her, who looked more reserved than she'd ever seen him.

"For what?" she asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

He smiled at her shyly, an expression she hadn't seen on his normally smug face before.

"For making things weird," he explained with a stiff shrug.

"You don't make things weird, Kitty. You're fine just as you are," she assured him with a bright smile.

"Even with the cheesy pick-up lines?" he qualified, a cautious smirk on his face.

"Even with the cheesy pick-up lines," she promised, rolling her eyes playfully.

He laughed and bumped her shoulder with his, "You're the best, Bugaboo."

She returned the gesture with a lighthearted laugh, "I know."

He didn't reply, but stared back at her intently, a radiant smile stretched across his face. Though he was a huge flirt, Marinette realized that his feelings must be genuine. She wondered how she managed to miss the childlike honesty in his gaze, or the way he lit up when she looked at him.

"You owe me thirty euros," Alya reminded her over the intercom.


	7. Expression

**I take it back. I might regret Lila in the previous chapter.**

* * *

 **Expression**

Alya often prided herself on her investigative skills, _and_ her ability to read her best friend like a book. She sat off to the side with Nino, who was bobbing his head to the beat of whatever song was blasting through his headphones.

Alya absentmindedly adjusted her glasses and scribbled down a few notes on the piece of literature they were supposed to be analyzing.

Marinette's laughter rang out over the muddled din of conversation, and she turned her attention to the table at the opposite side of the room, where Marinette and Adrien sat.

The pig-tailed girl was covering her mouth as she tried to keep a straight face, and the blond boy looked thrilled to pieces.

Alya narrowed her eyes as she tried to decipher the meaning behind the exchange. Adrien looked rather proud of himself, so it stood to reason that he'd told a joke and was glad to have someone actually laugh at it. Marinette was somehow able to power through her nerves to brush off his attempts at humor.

It didn't make any sense. Unless Alya's efforts to get Ladybug to notice Chat Noir were finally putting a dent in Marinette's resolve.

Alya cackled giddily, and Nino gave her a worried look.

Nothing would stand in the way of Alya Césaire's matchmaking. Now that Marinette was showing signs of weakness, all she needed was a few well-placed shoves in the right direction. Who better to provide the necessary pushes than her best friend?

"Um, Alya? Are you feeling okay?" Nino asked, removing his headphones and leaning forward with a wide-eyed gaze.

She grinned and spoke with obvious excitement, "Everything's fantastic!"

"Are you sure? Cause you've got a scary look on your face," Nino replied, shrinking back under her gaze.

She promptly punched him in the shoulder and resumed working on their notes, in case Ms. Bustier decided to ask them for their opinions during the large group discussion.

After class let out, Alya accompanied Marinette home for lunch. It was a short walk from the school, but it was just enough time to take in the scenery and enjoy the warmth of the sun on their skin.

They entered the bakery and trudged up the stairs to the family kitchen, grabbing their already prepared lunches from Mrs. Dupain-Cheng before heading up to Marinette's room.

As soon as the hatch closed, Tikki zipped out of Marinette's purse and snatched a cookie from the plate. The kwami munched on it with gusto; glad to be out of the bag for a while.

Alya let her friend eat for a while, but eventually it became too much to hold in the teasing.

"So, it looked like you were more comfortable with Adrien today," she stated in a sing-song voice.

"Yeah, Marinette! You only stuttered twice. It was a new record!" Tikki enthused, twirling with a flourish.

Marinette beamed happily, "Yeah! It was so much easier to talk to him today than it usually is. I think I finally made some progress!"

Alya nodded enthusiastically, "Totally, girl! Though, it's too bad it came at the cost of your feelings toward Chat Noir."

Marinette froze, "What? I don't have feelings for Chat Noir!"

The blogger shrugged, "Okay, if you say so."

"I don't! We've just gotten closer in the past few weeks, that's all," Marinette continued, seeming more like she was convincing herself than Alya.

"Alright. After all, who could know your feelings better than you, right?" Alya replied, a carefully neutral expression on her face as she took a bite out of a cookie.

"Exactly! It's not like I can't love him without _loving_ him. He's like a best friend. A guy friend. Who likes me as more than friends," Marinette rambled, pacing the floor in an agitated manner.

Tikki shared a look with Alya, and it was right then that she knew the kwami was hiding something.

"Just because he likes me like that, doesn't mean I have to like _him_ like that," the girl continued, still pacing.

"Girl, you're one-hundred percent right. You don't owe him anything," Alya agreed, her feminist fire having been ignited by her best friend's statement.

"Right! I don't like him like that. Even if I think he's kinda cute, you can think someone's attractive without liking them. That's normal. He's a good-looking guy, and I'm a teenage girl…so I naturally notice things like that. It doesn't have to mean I like him," Marinette reasoned.

Alya needed to stop her before she fried her brain trying to convince herself of her lack of interest in Chat Noir.

"Hey, Tikki? You wanted another cookie, right?" Alya interrupted.

Tikki gave her a knowing look, "Yes, actually. Would you mind getting one for me, Marinette?"

The girl immediately snapped out of her stupor and smiled, "Of course, Tikki!"

She rushed down the stairs toward the kitchen, leaving Alya and Tikki alone in the predominately pink bedroom.

There was a bout of silence before Alya turned to Tikki, pointing an accusing finger at the kwami.

"You know something, don't you?" Alya demanded, hands on her hips.

Tikki smiled sweetly, "Whatever do you mean, Alya?"

The future reporter laughed, "You know something about Chat Noir. I'd put money on it."

Tikki smiled, "I have some theories. The only thing you need to know is that Chat Noir and Ladybug are fabled to be tied together by the hands of fate. Light and dark, push and pull…"

"Yin and Yang," Alya finished, a look of pure wonder on her face.

Tikki nodded, "Everything is about balance. Even if Marinette never returns his affections, she will always need him around to bring balance to her life. I think, deep down, she knows that."

The hatch opened, and Marinette entered the room with a plate of steaming cookies. "Mama pulled them straight out of the oven," she exclaimed with pride.

Alya squealed with delight, "Yes! Best day ever!"

Marinette giggled, "What else happened to make it the best day ever?"

Alya waggled her eyebrows at Tikki, who tittered with amusement.

"What?" Marinette prodded.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Alya assured her with a furtive wink.

Marinette narrowed her eyes as she glared at her best friend, "You've become almost as annoying as Chat Noir."

Alya shrugged, a steely glint in her eye, "I won't complain, as long as you think I'm as _cute_ as Chat Noir too."

Marinette's face became a shade of red that resembled the coloration of a tomato, though Alya couldn't tell if it was a product of embarrassment or rage.

" _Alya_!"

She decided that it was definitely rage.


	8. Flowerpots

**Alright, this one is more serious in tone compared to the previous one-shots.**

* * *

 **Flowerpots**

If anyone had asked Alya Césaire what she thought she'd be doing early on a Sunday morning, she'd have said something along the lines of sleeping in.

Giving a superhero a pep talk was definitely _not_ within the bounds of what she thought she'd be doing, but then again, her life had gotten much weirder since she figured out that her best friend was Ladybug.

As she sat on a bench in the park, wrapped in a warm sweater and holding a mug of coffee, she wondered why she was up before the sun. A quick glance to her left reminded her why.

"Sorry again for waking you up. I really didn't mean to break your flowerpots," the nervous voice beside her murmured.

 _Of_ _course_ the superhero she was comforting was none other than Chat Noir, instead of her super best friend, which made the situation even more ironic.

"Don't sweat it. Those flowers were dead anyway," Alya replied with a dismissive wave of her hand.

He was hunched over his own steaming mug of coffee, looking rather emotionally drained. His normally bright eyes were dull, and his voice lacked its usual confident lilt.

When she found him on her fire escape with a sheepish grin on his face, she could tell something was off. Why else would he be out at four in the morning on a Sunday?

So she did what any decent person would do in such a situation; she invited him in and fixed them both a cup of coffee.

As she realized that they would need to have a serious conversation in order to help him, she saw the need to move elsewhere. Alya would rather not have to deal with the potential outcome of her siblings pestering Chat Noir, so she suggested that they go for a walk.

They ended up on a bench at the park, and had been sitting in relative silence for a while.

"So, are you gonna tell me what's got you down, or are we just going to sit here until the sun comes up?" Alya asked bluntly.

Chat Noir straightened with surprise, and his gaze locked with hers. "Oh. You actually want to know?"

Her eyebrows knit together as she considered that he might have never had someone want to know how he was feeling.

"Well, yeah. I can't help if I don't know what's up," she explained.

The blond boy fidgeted a bit, "It's kinda depressing. Are you sure you want to know?"

Alya nodded; keeping eye contact with him so he would know she was serious.

He took a deep breath and stared off into the distance, the dull look in his eyes shifting as he pressed his lips together.

"Today is my mother's birthday," he whispered.

Alya didn't need to ask for more information; the unshed tears that welled in his eyes were enough explanation. She placed her hands on his shoulders, turning him so that he was face to face with her.

"It's _okay_ to not be okay," Alya stated with fervor.

His lip quivered as a single tear escaped, and she pulled him into a fierce hug, rubbing circles into his back as the stray water droplets soaked into her shirt.

He didn't make a sound aside from the occasional sniffle, and Alya hoped he would find some comfort in her words.

A few minutes passed, and he pulled away and wiped at his eyes with the back of his glove, offering her a watery smile.

"Thanks, Alya," the teen superhero said. His former confidence was beginning to seep into his voice once again, and she smiled.

They sat in companionable silence for a while, listening to the hum of early morning traffic. They sipped their coffee, shoulders brushing every so often as they shifted to get comfortable.

Chat Noir turned to her with a grin, and all traces of sadness seemed to have disappeared.

"You're an amazing friend. No wonder Marinette loves you so much," he enthused.

Alya struck a heroic pose, "I _am_ pretty amazing, huh?"

"No doubt about it," Chat Noir agreed with an amused glint in his eye.

"Feel free to visit the Amazing Alya whenever you need a friendly ear, okay?" she replied with a teasing sparkle in her eye.

He responded with a toothy grin and an enthusiastic nod, placing his empty mug down beside hers. He stood and waved goodbye before vaulting away onto the rooftops.

The sun was just peeking over the horizon, and Alya took a final swig of her lukewarm coffee.

With the next day came the difficulty of getting up for school on a Monday morning. Alya knew that everyone hated Mondays, but she reserved the right to feel like her hatred was the only hatred that mattered.

That being said, she was totally unprepared for the radiant smile that greeted her as she slouched through the door of her classroom.

"Good morning, Alya," Adrien greeted, looking way too chipper for someone who was in school on Monday.

She grunted what she hoped was a greeting and shuffled past him to get to her table.

The blogger flopped down into her seat, and was fully prepared to zone out until Marinette got there, when she noticed that a cup of coffee sat on her desk.

Alya eyed it warily, before looking around in question.

"The guy at the coffee shop got my order wrong, so I got that one for free," Adrien explained with a cheerful smile.

"Oh. Thank you," Alya replied.

She lifted the cup to her lips and was surprised to find that it tasted exactly the way she liked her coffee. Alya lifted her eyes to Adrien, who looked a bit shyer than usual.

"It's okay if you don't like it," he assured her, a bit of doubt creeping into his gaze.

Something about that expression jogged her memory, and suddenly his green eyes were jarringly familiar.

Alya chuckled, "The coffee's great. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the barista knew exactly how much sugar and creamer I like in mine. That's impossible, though, since it was a mistake."

"Yeah," he murmured, a bit of a humorous gleam in his eyes.

Alya squinted at him, fixing the boy with a scrutinizing glare.

Adrien tilted his head questioningly, and it only cemented her suspicions.

A dangerous smirk played across her face as she stared him down, her hatred of Monday mornings long forgotten.

"You owe me some new flowerpots, Agreste."


	9. Giddy

**A Marinette centered one-shot in the Alya collection, you say? No way!**

* * *

 **Giddy**

Marinette couldn't quite say that Monday was the weirdest day of her life. Not when she had been kidnapped by a flock of pigeons before, at least. This particular Monday definitely deserved a spot in the top ten, though.

First, she was late to school for a reason that definitely had nothing to do with the halfway-completed design that was draped over her dress form at home. Then, her best friend hadn't even properly greeted her when she entered the classroom.

Instead, Alya shrieked when she saw Marinette.

The entire class flinched, and Ms. Bustier dropped her clipboard. After the initial shock died down, Marinette attempted to ask Alya what was going on.

The blogger grinned like the Cheshire cat and giggled maniacally.

Marinette knew that Alya could be a little high strung sometimes, and figured that her odd behavior was caused by the coffee that sat innocently on the corner of the table.

It did not end there, however.

Adrien turned around in his seat to give Marinette a welcoming smile.

"Good Morning, Marinette," he greeted, blinding her with his gorgeous green eyes.

"Morning good! I mean, good morning!" Marinette fumbled, flushing with embarrassment at her slip.

Alya made her presence known with a loud snort, and Adrien turned a pointed glare on her.

"Geez, Alya!" the blond complained, looking dramatically put out by her behavior.

The pig-tailed girl blinked in confusion. Alya never laughed at her nervous slip-ups around the boy of her dreams, and perfect Adrien never acted so melodramatic.

She looked to Nino for help, but he only shrugged, looking just as bewildered as she was.

Alya totally lost it when Rose referenced Paris's resident superheroes in their class discussion on why romance novels sell so well.

There was nothing about the statement that should have been funny, except for the fact that everyone was convinced that Ladybug and Chat Noir were a thing, but Alya cracked up like it was the joke of the century.

By the time lunch break rolled around, Marinette was deeply concerned for her friend. Before she was able to do anything, Adrien appeared in front of their table, smiling cheerfully.

"Hey Marinette, mind if I borrow Alya real quick?" he asked pleasantly.

"Anything for you. I-I mean, sure! No problem," she babbled.

"Thanks!" he replied, before grabbing a cackling Alya by the elbow and leading her out the door.

Marinette blinked as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. By all accounts, it made no sense.

"Tikki, that was weird, right?" she murmured, checking to make sure _she_ wasn't the one who had gone insane.

"Yes, Marinette. It was very strange," the kwami replied, poking her head out of Marinette's bag to give her chosen a concerned look.

Not even ten minutes later, Alya returned.

The two girls walked toward the bakery, and Alya casually chatted about the Ladyblog as if she hadn't been acting like a maniac all morning. They grabbed their lunches and headed upstairs to take their customary seats in the middle of the floor.

Even Tikki had fallen into the new routine, and nibbled on a cookie while she hovered at eye-level.

"Alya, is everything okay?" Marinette asked, hoping to shift into a conversation about her best friend's odd behavior that morning.

Alya beamed like she'd just become a millionaire.

"Yes! Everything's fantastic," she replied, kicking her feet in excitement.

Marinette furrowed her brow, "Did something good happen?"

Alya nodded so enthusiastically that Marinette wondered if her head would fall off. The pig-tailed girl smiled at her friend's excitement.

"What is it?" she asked, trying to keep her own anticipation at bay.

Alya immediately deflated, her lips drawing down into a pout, "I can't tell you."

"What?" Marinette asked; clearly she hadn't heard her correctly.

"I can't tell you, girl. I'm sworn to secrecy," the blogger explained, miming a lock and key over her mouth while looking quite contrite.

The teen superhero frowned, "A secret? From me?"

Alya shrugged helplessly, "It's not my secret to tell. You know how it is."

"Yeah, I guess so," Marinette mumbled with a halfhearted nod of her head.

The brunette gave her a playful shove, "Everything's gonna work out just fine, trust me."

Marinette couldn't fathom exactly what Alya could be talking about if it was related to her secret, but decided that she would just have to trust her friend. Alya hadn't given her any reason not to, even if she _was_ pretty annoying about Chat Noir sometimes.

She looked up and realized that Alya was rummaging through her book bag.

"What are you looking for?" Marinette asked, watching her with thinly veiled curiosity.

Alya grinned, mischief flashing in her eyes, "Oh, just something I got you as a present."

Marinette knew that look, and also knew that she wasn't going to like whatever present Alya was going to pull from her bag. Sure enough, she pulled out a piece of paper and opened it up.

She proudly held up her gift like a trophy, and chuckled while Marinette groaned.

"Alya, what the heck is that?" Marinette demanded, crossing her arms over her chest in defiance.

The blogger gave her a well-practiced innocent look, "Something to add a little variety to your decór."

Marinette simmered in silence while her friend taped the poster to her wall alongside her lovely magazine cutouts of Adrien.

"Alya, how am I supposed to get anything done with Chat Noir staring back at me all the time," Marinette complained, earning an amused giggle from Tikki.

The brunette snorted, "Same way you get things done with Adrien staring back at you all the time."

Marinette opened her mouth to argue, but her face flushed with embarrassment instead. She silently cursed her inability to play it cool while Alya let loose a distinctly evil-sounding laugh.


	10. Distance

**This one should really be titled "Distance (or lack thereof)", but I like this whole one-word thing I've got going on. ;)**

* * *

 **Distance**

"Let me get this straight, you love Ladybug."

"Yes?"

"You love Ladybug."

"Yes."

"You're _in love_ with Ladybug?"

"I honestly thought that was obvious, Alya."

"And you don't know who she is," the reporter deadpanned, regarding Chat Noir with a skeptical look.

The boy slumped forward to rest his chin on his drawn-up knee with a deep weariness in his catlike eyes. The wind ruffled his blond hair and cut through the knit of Alya's sweater, causing her to shiver a bit before she shrugged on a jacket she'd borrowed from Nino.

She had no intention of ever returning it, so perhaps 'borrowed' was a poor choice of words.

Chat Noir's other foot dangled off the edge of the wide beam on which they sat, as if he had no regard for how high in the air they were. Alya maintained a safe distance from the edge, though she showed no traces of nervousness.

"She doesn't want me to know who she is. I have to respect that," he murmured, as if it was a line he'd rehearsed in the mirror countless times.

Alya tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, "What's stopping you from telling her who _you_ are, then?"

He laughed, eyes sparkling with mirth, "She is."

The blogger rolled her eyes, huffing with annoyance. "That's stupid."

"She's so _stubborn_ ," he breathed, as if he were describing the beauty of a sunrise.

Alya looked unimpressed. "You say that like it's a good thing."

"I like a girl who knows what she wants," he quipped, giving her a signature Chat Noir smirk.

She snorted, "You're hopeless."

"A hopeless _romantic_ ," he corrected, grin growing even wider.

A sudden zipping noise was the only warning they received before Ladybug alighted on the platform, seeming rather surprised to see them.

Chat's eyes widened, "Ladybug! What are you doing up so early in the morning?"

Her cobalt eyes darted between them quickly, and Alya offered her a sheepish smile.

"I should be asking you the same thing, Kitty," she replied, only a little bit uncertainly.

"Ladyblog exclusive," he replied, shooting Alya a cheeky grin.

The owner of the Ladyblog immediately played along.

"Chat Noir is wildly popular right now. I figured his fans would appreciate seeing more from him, and he thought it would be nice to see more of his fanbase. So we wanted to plan a live video chat," Alya explained with expert ease.

The spotted superheroine still looked puzzled, but accepted the explanation quickly enough. She took a seat on the other side of Chat Noir, ruffling his hair along the way.

"Don't you see enough of your fangirls already, Chat?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"Of course not. You know I only have eyes for you, Bugaboo," he replied in a sultry tone, invading her personal space so that their noses were nearly touching.

Ladybug chuckled at his antics, "Do you, now?"

"Mhm," he hummed, mildly surprised that she hadn't grabbed his face and pushed him away yet.

She rolled her eyes and laughed, a soft tinkling sound, "You crazy cat."

"Crazy for _you_ ," he murmured with a playful smirk.

The air was charged with nearly palpable energy as they gazed into each other's eyes. It was as if they were having some sort of unspoken contest to see who would break it first. Whatever 'it' was.

Her nose somehow brushed against his, and Chat Noir's brain short-circuited.

An audible camera sound shattered the moment.

Both superheroes blinked owlishly, blinded by the bright flash of light. Alya Césaire grinned back at them, brandishing her phone like a trophy.

Ladybug glared, muscles coiling in preparation to snatch the device away from the girl.

"It's already been sent to my drive. You can't get rid of it," she taunted, a triumphant grin in place.

The superheroine huffed and stood up, crossing her arms like an angry toddler.

"Fine. I'm taking you home," Ladybug stated.

"It's okay, My Lady. I was planning to take her back myself," Chat Noir interjected, standing up as well.

"No, I'll take her home," Ladybug repeated; her tone left no room for argument.

He turned to Alya with a helpless shrug, and she rolled her eyes.

"Pushover," she muttered.

"She's _stubborn_ ," he replied, a love-struck grin on his face.

Ladybug cast her yo-yo out and prepared to jump, offering a hand to Alya. The brunette girl sighed and stood up, walking past Chat Noir to get to Ladybug.

He caught her by the arm and gave her a conspiratorial grin, "Send me that picture?"

She smiled back and bumped his fist,

"Already did."


	11. Oblivion

**Yeah, I don't know** _ **what**_ **this is.**

 **Random Announcement: if you went to an anime convention last month dressed as Marinette and ran into a Miraculous fangirl wearing a Sesshomaru cosplay…Just know that it was me. That is all.**

* * *

 **Oblivion**

Alya's brow was furrowed in concentration as she fought to keep her hand steady. One slip of her finger would result in a mess that she desperately hoped she wouldn't have to clean up.

Marinette's giggle disrupted her concentration, and she shot a glare at the best friend. "Marinette, you're going to ruin everything!" she scolded, returning her gaze to her work with laser-like precision.

"Alya, it's just fingernail polish. I don't mind if it's a little bit messy," Marinette assured her with an amused lilt to her voice.

"It's the principle of the matter!" Alya replied matter-of-factly.

The pig-tailed girl sighed and shook her head, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "So, how are things going with Nino?" she asked.

Alya paused in the midst of painting her friend's nails. "He's such a dork."

Marinette laughed, "You really like him, don't you?"

The owner of the Ladyblog huffed, "I mean, I guess so. He can be super dense sometimes, though. Can't take a hint at all. I mean, how obvious do I have to be?"

"You're not really that obvious, Alya" Marinette qualified, in the interest of fairness.

"Gee, Nino. I'd really like to see that new Rom-com that's playing at the cinema, whomever shall I go with?" Alya dramatized, bringing her voice to a higher pitch than usual.

Marinette snorted, "Okay, so he _is_ a little oblivious sometimes."

Alya looked like she wanted to throttle her friend. "Says the queen of oblivion herself," the blogger deadpanned.

Marinette shot her a pained look and wiggled her halfway painted fingers, "Are you going to finish painting them, or not?"

The brunette huffed theatrically and resumed the painstaking task of making her best friend's nails look glamorous.

"When I'm finished, even Adrien will envy your perfectly painted nails," Alya announced.

Marinette giggled, "I don't think Adrien would ever care about nails."

"When he sees yours, he will," Alya argued, a comical expression on her face.

"Why Marinette, what lovely nails you have! Is that periwinkle polish?" Marinette exclaimed in a deep voice she reserved for only the silliest of conversations.

"No, it's lavender!" Alya replied with a staged flick of her wrist.

"I've fallen instantly in love with you because of your beautiful lavender fingernails," Marinette responded flipping her hair melodramatically.

Both girls devolved into a fit of hysterical laughter over the hilarity of the pretend situation. They laughed until their sides hurt and they were both exhausted.

The rest of their sleepover was spent talking and laughing into the wee hours of the morning, until they finally fell asleep side-by-side on Marinette's bed.

The following Monday, they both entered into school with bright smiles and painted nails. Alya and Marinette took their seats and chatted while they waited for class to begin. Adrien and Nino entered and approached their table, waving in greeting.

"Sup Alya, Marinette," Nino greeted warmly. Adrien turned to greet Marinette with his usual perfect smile that turned her to goo on the inside.

"Hey Marinette! Did you get a manicure? Your nails look great," he complimented as his eyes dropped to the impeccable application of her polish.

The girl's eyes widened, "Manicure?"

Alya immediately swooped in to save her, "Yep, manicure by yours truly! I have natural talent, right?"

"You do!" The boy chuckled and placed his fingers on the desk in plain view, "Honestly, you did a way better job shaping than the guy who did mine."

While Marinette and Nino looked ready to choke, Alya remained as cool as a cucumber. "You should totally come next time we have a nail night."

He laughed, "I just might! I'll pass on the polish, though, if you don't mind."

"Done," Alya agreed easily.

Nino shook his head and plopped down into his seat, having obviously decided to let the conversation go. Adrien turned to sit back down, but paused to meet Marinette's eyes.

"Lavender is a really nice color on you," he complimented, slipping into his seat and facing the front.

There was a beat of silence before Alya snorted, causing Marinette to lose control of her laughter. The girls doubled over in hysterics, almost falling out of their seats as tears streamed down their faces.

Nino placed his headphones over his ears and turned up the volume.


	12. Permafrost

**What can I say? Coming up with an akuma was more difficult than I thought it would be. There are a few references to previous one-shots in this one, making it much more connected than many of the rest!**

* * *

 **Permafrost**

Alya truly didn't know how she ended up being the target of an akuma attack, but while she clung to Chat Noir's back for dear life as he dodged incoming projectiles, she decided she must have done something pretty awful.

"Any idea where the akuma is?" the feline superhero asked as he pole-vaulted them onto the roof of the next building.

"No? I don't even know why she's mad at me!" Alya exclaimed, a bit too loud next to his sensitive ear. He winced, but said nothing about it.

"Well, I sure hope Ladybug gets here soon, cause- Whoa!" he broke off with a quick shout as he leaped out of the way of the next attack. This particular villain transformed her victims into ice sculptures when hit with her icicles.

"Hold still!" Permafrost shouted, sounding quite put out by her inability to hit the target.

"I think you meant to say _freeze_ ," Chat Noir quipped, shooting her finger guns before bounding away.

"Are you okay carrying me like this?" Alya asked, noticing that her friend's breathing was becoming less even.

"Yeah, I'm just…a little tired," he panted, readjusting so that Alya wouldn't fall off when he jumped onto the next building.

He belatedly realized that the surface of the roof was coated in a thin layer of ice, and slipped as he touched down. Alya and Chat Noir tumbled and landed in a less-than-graceful heap on the apartment flat. They braced for impact as the icicle whistled through the air, only to be deflected by a familiar red projectile.

"Any longer, My Lady, and I'd be a catcicle!" the leather-clad hero remarked, looking up at her from his tangled position on the ground.

"Good thing I showed up," Ladybug remarked with a confident curve to her lips. Alya saw Chat Noir beginning to get glossy-eyed, and elbowed him roughly.

"Focus, Romeo," Alya stage whispered in response to his glare.

"R-Right," he stuttered, getting to his feet and twirling his baton absentmindedly. "Got a plan?"

Ladybug deflected another icicle and glanced at Alya with a worried expression, "We need to get her to safety. Then we can focus on finding the akumatized item."

Chat Noir helped Alya up and pulled her onto his back again, leaping off of the roof before she'd quite prepared herself, and making her nauseous.

"Ice queen over there sure is fast," Alya commented.

"Yeah, but the question is what's with her frosty exterior?" Chat Noir quipped, still sounding a bit winded as he ducked into a bell tower and gently placed Alya back down on her feet.

The blogger decided to ignore the bad joke, "I don't know. I don't remember doing anything that could get someone akumatized."

She watched from the bell tower as the blond boy returned to the fight and assisted her best friend in fighting the akuma, throwing out horrible cold-related puns as often as possible.

Alya watched with rapt attention as she recorded the battle on her phone, worrying over her friends as they avoided the icicles. Chat Noir used his Cataclysm to break up the ground so that it wouldn't be as slippery, and the countdown to the end of his transformation began.

Permafrost glared at them both, "I'll like you both better when you're ice sculptures!"

"That's just cold," Chat Noir replied with a cheeky smirk.

Ladybug called for Lucky Charm, and was presented with a random object. She narrowed her eyes as she considered its possible uses, and Chat Noir set about distracting the villain until she could figure it out.

With a wild screech, Permafrost released a volley of projectiles, sending them flying toward Ladybug, instead of Chat Noir. His eyes widened at the unexpected twist, and he launched himself forward without a thought.

Alya gasped and nearly dropped her phone as Chat Noir took the hit for Ladybug and became motionless. In his place stood a very life-like ice sculpture.

A moment of silence passed, and then Ladybug threw herself into the battle with renewed vigor. The sound of the yoyo clashing against icicles echoed through the streets as Alya rushed down the stairs of the bell tower and ran toward the scene.

Her foot caught on a stone, and she nearly took a very graceless tumble. She knew there was nothing she could do to help Adrien, but she still wanted to be closer. By the time she reached the battleground, Ladybug was in the middle of cleansing the akuma.

Tears swam in the superheroine's eyes as she released the white butterfly, her gaze locked on Chat Noir's frozen form. She tossed the Lucky Charm into the air, and it began to reset all of the damage done during the battle.

The last thing to revert to normal was Chat Noir himself.

As his frigid flesh became warm again, he began to slump to the ground, only to be caught by a tearful Ladybug.

She lowered them both to the pavement and embraced him tightly.

"Ladybug?" he murmured against her shoulder, obviously confused about the situation.

"You stupid cat! You can't leave me like that," Ladybug scolded, maintaining her vise-like grip on him as she talked.

"I'm fine, My Lady," he assured her, gently wrapping his arms around her waist in kind.

He stiffened as something wet soaked into the fabric on his shoulder, and realized that the girl of his dreams was crying. Chat Noir pulled back just enough to be able to see her face.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, completely bewildered by the emotional display coming from a girl who had seemed so detached.

She removed a hand from around his neck to scrub at the offending tears, and shot him her best glare, "Because you're an idiot!"

"Oh lighten up, Bugaboo. I'm _always_ an idiot when it comes to you," he quipped, throwing her a signature Chat Noir smirk.

She rolled her eyes, but the glare softened a bit.

"Have I ever told you that your eyes shine with the light of a thousand stars?" he purred, leaning in ever so slightly.

Ladybug smirked wryly, "I think those lines would work better for you if I didn't have to wonder how many girls you've said them to."

"Only you, Bug," he whispered, an earnest expression on his face.

She stared at him, eyes wide with surprise at his confirmation of Alya's theories. He stared back, an unmistakable longing in his eyes that made her breath catch in her throat.

Before anyone could register what happened, Ladybug closed the distance between them and placed a fleeting kiss on his cheek before extricating herself from his arms and casting her yoyo out. She disappeared over the top of the building and zipped out of sight.

He stared after her, his mouth ajar as his fingers trailed across the skin where her lips had brushed so lightly.

"What just happened?" Alya asked, her expression almost as dazed as the blond superhero's.

"She… She kissed me?" he breathed, uncertainty coloring his tone.

Silence fell between him, and he turned to Alya questioningly.

"She did kiss me, didn't she? I didn't imagine it, right?" Chat Noir asked, face flushing bright red.

"Yeah, I saw it too," Alya confirmed, her eyes narrowing as she gazed out at the point where the spotted superheroine disappeared.

"What do you think it means?" the boy asked, looking heartbreakingly hopeful.

"I think it means someone's gonna get a talking to," Alya muttered. She crossed her arms over her chest as she looked out over the distance.

"What?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Let's get you out of here before you change back," she said. Alya hooked her arm under his elbow and hoisted him up off the ground.

He smiled bashfully, "She's so perfect."

"Nobody's perfect, Cat Boy. You're just infatuated," Alya stated matter-of-factly.

"You're right, I am _completely_ infatuated," Chat Noir replied, a charismatic smile stretched across his face. His ring beeped, and he glanced down to see that he only had one minute left.

"I'll see you in class!" he called, racing off into the distance and leaving Alya with a dazed akuma victim. The reporter recognized her as an employee of her mother's and leaned over to help her to her feet.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, but what am I doing here? The last thing I remember is my ice sculpture getting broken," the woman explained, looking rather disheartened.

"You were akumatized," Alya explained, and the woman looked like she wanted to cry.

"-but I bet the damage to your statue was undone when Ladybug used her Miraculous Cure!" the blogger assured her, squeezing her hand encouragingly.

"You really think so? Chef Césaire said she was sorry for knocking it over, but I was still so angry that it fell. I should apologize," the woman stated with a hopeful smile.

"I'll walk you back to the hotel! We can check on my mom together," Alya offered, leading the woman down the road.

She waited until she and Marinette were alone in her room after school, before giving her a scrutinizing look.

"Alya, you've been looking at me like that all day. What's up?" the pig-tailed girl asked, looking rather confused.

"Are you falling for Chat Noir?" Alya inquired bluntly.

"What? We're just friends," Marinette assured her, voice rising in pitch.

"Then why'd you give him a kiss?" the blogger asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Alya was honestly feeling conflicted; while she was thrilled that Marinette was beginning to see Chat Noir in a new light, she was upset at her for playing with Adrien's feelings.

"T-To say thank you," she replied, a tad too quickly.

"Friends don't give friends kisses as a show of gratitude," Alya stated in a no-nonsense tone.

"Alya, it was just on his cheek. It wasn't a big deal," Marinette said, waving her friend off.

The blogger groaned and placed her hands on Marinette's shoulders, "Girl, it's a big deal to _him_. Don't you see that he loves you? If you don't love him back, stuff like that could hurt him, Mari."

The girl's eyes went wide as her best friend's words sunk in, "Oh no! I wasn't thinking! The last thing I want is to hurt Chat Noir. It just…felt right."

Alya smiled and shook her head at the girl's obliviousness, "You really need to think about your feelings for Chat Noir. I think, deep down, you love him back."

Marinette's fingers traced her lips as she remembered the earlier events, "I…I don't know anymore."

Alya shrugged helplessly, "Well-"

The sound of Alya's phone ringing sliced through the air, and she checked the screen to figure out who was calling.

She quickly scooped it up and hit the answer button, "I'm a little busy talking to Marinette. I'll call you back later!"

"No, wait! It'll only take like two seconds," a male voice replied.

Marinette frowned as she tried to figure out whom Alya was talking to, since it didn't sound like Nino.

"I saw your video on the Ladyblog," he began, pausing for dramatic effect.

"No, not the puns," Alya whined.

"And it looks like Chat Noir was a really _cool cat_ today," he purred, voice practically oozing self-satisfaction.

"Ugh. Why do you do this to me?" the blogger deadpanned.

"Geez, what a _frosty_ reception," he quipped.

"Is this my punishment for the flowerpot comment? Because I will apologize if it makes this stop," Alya exclaimed.

"Oh, I let the flowerpot comment _drop_ a long time ago."

"This is _so_ not the time," Alya wailed.

" _Snow_ time like the present," he replied easily.

The blogger huffed and hit the 'end call' button, glaring at the phone long after it was disconnected.

Marinette's eyebrows drew together in question, "Was that…Chat Noir calling you?"

Alya's lips turned up in a mischievous grin, "It was Adrien."

Marinette's refusal to reveal her identity to Chat Noir couldn't prevent Alya from dropping hints, now could it?

The girl looked even more confused than before, " _Adrien_ made all of those terrible jokes?"

Alya shrugged, "I told you, girl. Nobody's perfect. It just so happens that Adrien is a big fan of the worst puns imaginable."

Marinette looked like she'd just been told that her puppy had died, "Chat Noir's sense of humor is bad enough! I can't handle _two_ of them!"

Alya slapped her hand to her forehead, "Only you, Mari. Only you."


	13. Expectations

**Wow! Sorry it took so long. I ran out of ideas for this story, so I had to brainstorm a bit!**

* * *

 **Expectations**

Alya was having minimal luck in just about everything that day. First of all, it was a Monday. That, in and of itself, was just cause for alarm. Secondly, she couldn't seem to stop fumbling her phone, and had managed to crack the screen. Lastly, and most importantly, Nino seemed to constantly be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A particularly slippery akuma had been terrorizing the city all day, and it was all she could do to act like everything was normal around Nino when all she wanted to do was check in on her favorite superhero duo.

Adrien and Marinette were coming up with consistently terrible excuses to sneak off and fight Hawkmoth's latest creation. Alya was sure that the whole class was convinced that Adrien had the stomach flu by now.

She mentally shrugged, at least it wasn't as bad as Mari's _akumaphobia_ , as it was dubbed by Kim. Max vehemently insisted that _akumaphobia_ wasn't a real phobia, but Kim could be rather persistent.

After the fourth interruption of class Ms. Bustier dismissed them until notice of the akuma's purification was given. This freed Alya up to get prime footage for her blog, so after exiting the school, she raced toward loud crashes and explosions.

She caught a flash of Ladybug's red suit, and moved to make her way over to the other side of the street, which would provide a better angle. Ladybug was about to purify the black butterfly, and Alya didn't want to miss it.

She skidded to a stop as she spied a familiar figure.

"Nino, you have two seconds to tell me what you're doing hiding behind these bushes," Alya stated, hands on her hips and an implicit warning in her tone of voice.

"Alya! What're you doing here?" he responded, fidgeting as he avoided meeting her eyes.

"Answer my question first," she demanded, jabbing an accusing finger in his direction.

"Uhh… Just hoping to get an autograph from Chat Noir! He's a cool dude, y'know?" Nino responded, adjusting his glasses.

"Funny. I've never seen you fanboy over Chat Noir _before_ ," Alya drawled.

Nino suddenly jumped to his feet, placed his hands on the blogger's back, and began pushing her down the street.

"Uh, let's find him!" he exclaimed.

"Nino, I swear-" Alya tensed and prepared to give the DJ a firm talking to about personal space and respecting her autonomy, when she glanced over her shoulder and saw Chat Noir run into an alley behind them to detransform.

"Uh, good idea! Let's get as far away from the battle site as possible, though," Alya agreed, nearly pulling Nino along behind her as she rushed away.

She bounded around a corner with Nino in tow and nearly collided with Marinette, who was stuffing a cookie in her purse.

"Alya! I'm glad you're safe, that battle got pretty out of hand-" Marinette began, looking relieved at the sight of her friend.

Alya made a quick silencing gesture and jabbed a thumb in Nino's direction. The pig-tailed girl immediately backpedaled, "Oh, hi Nino! I'm glad you're okay too!"

"Yeah. Me too, dudette," Nino replied easily.

Marinette's eyes widened, "Oh no! Have either of you seen Adrien? Is he okay?"

Alya opened her mouth to spout off an excuse, but Nino spoke before she got a chance.

"Yeah, he's fine. We both took cover in the locker room, but I took off after the attack to find Chat Noir. Been trying to get his autograph for, like, forever," Nino stated with an encouraging smile.

Alya's eyes narrowed. There was no way Adrien was with Nino if he was fighting alongside Ladybug. Either he slipped away while Nino was distracted, or…

"We need to talk, Lahiffe," Alya proclaimed, grabbing the collar of his shirt and dragging him away, leaving a perplexed Marinette in their wake.

Once they were in a reasonably secluded area of the park, she whirled around and poked him in the chest accusingly.

"You know something you shouldn't."

Nino chuckled and adjusted his hat, "Why would I? Isn't snooping around usually _your_ thing?"

The girl crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Yeah, and that's why you should leave that stuff to me."

The boy laughed and tucked his hands into his pockets, "Alya. Chill out, will ya?"

"I will, as soon as you tell me how much you know," she stated, leaving no room for argument.

Nino shrugged, "About what? If it's video games, I think that's Marinette's thing."

She stared into his eyes, as if searching for something within their depths. Nino tilted his head to the side questioningly, and she caught a faint glimmer of mischief.

A slow smile spread across her face as she leaned in closer, poking out her lower lip in a pout that was sure to put a dent in his resolve.

"You really won't tell me?" she murmured, fiddling with the bill of his hat flirtatiously. Nino blushed, his olive skin turning a nice shade of salmon, but he didn't waver.

"About video games?" he replied, the playfulness in his eyes becoming more apparent.

Alya gazed at him in a mixture of frustration and awe, and her glare softened as admiration won out.

"I gotta hand it to you, Lahiffe. You're one trustworthy guy," she commented, a wide grin stretched over her face.

Nino blushed again, and fidgeted under the praise.

"I-I guess," he stammered.

"So, do you wanna go get smoothies before we head back to class?" Alya suggested, looping her arm through his with a bright smile.

"Anything for my girl," Nino replied, tipping his hat comically.

" _Your_ girl? I don't belong to _anyone_. Especially not to some DJ who hasn't even asked me out yet," Alya snarked, flipping her hair.

"Wanna go out?" Nino asked.

"No. Because I had to _tell_ you to ask," she replied, glaring at him with a fire in her eyes.

"I have a feeling that's the way things are gonna be from now on," Nino replied easily.

"Don't steal lines from the Sunshine Child," the blogger admonished with a half-hearted shove.

"Ha! I knew you'd break first," Nino exclaimed with an undignified snort.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alya sniffed.

Nino eyed her appraisingly for a while, then smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "I think you do."

With that, he took her hand and led her into the smoothie shop.

"Seriously, though. Why were you hiding behind a bush?"

"I was being discreet."

"Cause hiding behind a bush like a creep is _soo_ discreet.

"Shut up."


	14. Resolve

**The moment you've all been waiting for! Or, more accurately, the moment you all forgot about. (The moment you probably _haven't_ been waiting for)**

* * *

 **Resolve**

"Dude. No," Nino deadpanned, replacing his headphones and trying to drown out his best friend's argument.

"I need you, Nino! I can't do this on my own," Adrien whined, splaying himself out over the desk in a dramatized act of desolation. Alya rolled her eyes at his display, but couldn't keep the smile from turning the corners of her lips upward.

"I love ya, bro. But this is something you gotta do on your own," Nino replied, turning up the volume of his music to mask Adrien's protests.

Adrien groaned as he buried his face in his arms, slumping down further than Alya thought possible.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to, Adrien," Marinette offered, hand hovering over his shoulder like she wanted to touch him but was uncertain as to whether it would melt her hand or not.

His head shot up and he locked eyes with his pig-tailed classmate.

"No, I'm definitely coming!" he declared, emerald eyes full of resolve.

Alya grinned, "Great! I'm going at six, so get there anytime after that!"

"Ohhhh Adri-kins," a sing-song voice called from across the classroom. Adrien visibly stiffened, and plastered a friendly smile on his face as he turned to face Chloe.

"Hey, Cho. What's up?" he asked, knowing very well that her tone meant trouble.

"I heard you have a free night, so I bought tickets to see that new Rom-Com," she told him, flashing a confident smile as she leaned over the table to lock eyes with him.

"I thought that premiere was next week?" Adrien asked, looking utterly confused.

"Oh, I just had the _mayor_ put in a good word, and I was able to arrange a private showing at the best cinema in town. It'll be _just you and me_ ," she murmured, a flirty smile on her face.

He looked horrified, and Nino jumped in before he had to reply.

"Sorry Chloé, dude's already got plans for tonight!" Nino explained, throwing an arm around Adrien's shoulders and watching Chloé's face twist with anger.

"That's fine. We'll just spend time together _next time_ ," Chloé stated, a sickly sweet note in her voice.

"You can't take a hint, huh?" Lila interjected, drawing attention to herself where she stood beside the blonde girl. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and a self-satisfied smirk adorned her face.

"Hmph! I'm not the one chasing after a mangy stray," Chloé sniffed, turning her nose up at the new arrival.

A loud chorus rang out over the classroom, "He's _not_ mangy!"

All four speakers turned to look at each other in surprise. Alya's eyes darted between Marinette, Nino, and Lila as she processed that they'd all shouted the same thing at the same time.

Lila seemed invigorated by her unexpected backup, "He's selfless and kind! He always saves me in the nick of time, and he's drop-dead gorgeous!"

Adrien's face went bright red, and he tried to hide behind his notebook.

"Not nearly as gorgeous as Adrien. Right Marinette?" Chloé asserted, turning to Marinette of all people for confirmation. Everyone's eyes were on her as she turned beet red.

"Uh, I! I! Know don't! D-Don't know!" she stuttered, looking dazed by the question.

"Ugh, the one time I think you'll actually be useful!" Chloé snarled, turning on her heel and marching away to her desk.

Alya snickered, "I thought you were after Adrien, Lila."

The brunette flipped her hair over her shoulder and waved a hand flippantly.

"Adrien's cute and all, but I'm over him. No offense," she tacked on with a pleasant smile.

"None taken," Adrien replied easily, though the way his shoulders relaxed showed immense relief at this development.

"But Chat Noir is totally _hot_ ," Lila explained, a dreamy expression on her face.

Adrien spluttered, and Lila glanced at him questioningly.

Nino clapped his hands over Adrien's ears, and Alya grinned mischievously. The boy just couldn't catch a break.

"You can't _say_ things like that in front of Adrien," Nino warned, a solemn expression on his face.

"He's too pure for this world," Alya stage-whispered, earning an elbow to the ribs from Marinette.

Lila giggled and ruffled Adrien's hair before sauntering off to her seat. An awkward silence settled upon the four friends.

"So, this means you're coming too, right?" Adrien asked, shooting Nino a pleading look.

"No way, man. I was just covering for you," Nino replied.

"You're gonna leave me all alone?" the blond boy whimpered.

"Nope. You'll have Mari and Alya. They're great company," the DJ countered, upping the volume on his music once more.

Marinette sighed longingly as she watched Adrien argue with Nino, and Alya resisted the urge to roll her eyes at just how oblivious the girl was.

"Dude, no way am I going over to Marinette's for _Nail Night_. Too girly," Nino nearly shouted, and set his jaw stubbornly.

Adrien blinked in surprise, and then his lips turned upward in a roguish grin that Marinette nearly swooned at. Alya thought it was remarkable that her best friend still hadn't recognized that Chat Noir smirk yet.

"Nino, I put the _man_ in _man_ icure."

"The answer is still no."


	15. Hand

**I think this one might end up being my first real stand-alone chapter in this collection! I say "might" because I could revisit the concept later. No humor this time, just fluff.**

* * *

 **Hand**

A gentle breeze blew though the Parisian streets, softening the heat from the midday sun. Alya walked on the sidewalk beside her best friend, and used their joined hands to swing their arms between them.

Marinette giggled at her friend's antics, "Are we gonna start skipping next?" Alya grinned and increased their pace, "You read my mind!"

Both girls laughed as they skipped down the street drawing attention from several other pedestrians along the way. An old woman on a park bench smiled when she saw them pass, and a young mother chuckled as she held her daughter's hand.

After a few minutes of skipping, Alya began to slow.

"Okay, I'm getting tired," she huffed, releasing Marinette's hand so as to fan herself.

Marinette snickered, "You need to get into shape!"

Alya placed her hands on her hips, "Well excuse me for not being a secret gymnast like you."

The pig-tailed girl laughed, "You don't have to be a gymnast to be in shape."

"Oh, we have the walk signal now," Alya exclaimed, pointing at the sign across the crosswalk. The two girls made their way across the street and into the ice cream parlor.

The glass case at the front held an assortment of flavors, and Marinette's eyes lit up. Alya smiled and shook her head; Marinette looked like a kid in a candy store.

"Oh no! How will I ever choose?" the girl lamented, peering through the glass.

"Don't you normally get strawberry?" Alya asked.

Marinette giggled and wrung her hands, "I guess so. Even with so many options, I usually just go for what's familiar."

Alya hummed thoughtfully, "So do you want to be comfortable or adventurous?"

The pigtailed girl shrugged, "I don't know. I suppose I can't have both, can I?"

The blogger pointed to the menu that was displayed on the wall, "You could always get a double scoop."

Marinette beamed, "Then I could get strawberry _and_ another flavor I've never tried before!"

"Exactly," Alya replied with a confident grin.

Marinette ended up getting a scoop of chocolate caramel swirl on top of her strawberry scoop, and Alya had a heaping serving of mint chocolate chip atop her cone.

They exited the ice cream shop, and Alya turned to Marinette, who was thoroughly engrossed in her dessert.

"So how's your adventurous flavor?" the blogger asked, lightly tapping her friend with her elbow.

"Honestly, I think I like it even more than the strawberry!" Marinette exclaimed, taking another lick off of her ice cream cone.

"And you never would've known if you hadn't taken a chance," Alya remarked as she gave her friend an encouraging smile.

"Taken a chance?" Marinette murmured, seemingly lost in thought. Her foot caught on the raised edge of the sidewalk, and Alya tried to call out a warning as she lost her balance and went toppling forward.

Her ice cream cone shattered as it hit the ground, and the heels of her hands scraped against the pavement.

"Whoa! Watch your step, Princess. You could've gotten seriously hurt," Chat Noir called, dropping down from the rooftops and landing in front of her.

He offered a hand to help her up, and her eyes locked on the remains of her ice cream cone. The adventurous flavor had been her favorite, and she was sad to see it spattered on the pavement like that.

Her gaze drifted to Chat Noir's extended hand, and then trailed up to his face, where his kind green eyes watched her with concern.

Alya's prior words echoed in her mind.

"And you never would've known if you hadn't taken a chance."

She took his hand.


	16. Spell

**You thought I was done talking about fingernails? Guess again!**

* * *

 **Spell**

Marinette propped her head up on her arm, careful of her wet nails, and gazed at Alya with a pensive expression.

"What's up, Mari?" Alya asked, reading the situation with practiced ease.

The girl bit her lip nervously and looked up at the ceiling, "What was your first kiss like, Alya?"

The blogger gazed back at her kindly and tapped her chin as she thought, "Well, it was okay, I guess. It was with a guy I liked back at my old school, but that relationship didn't really work out."

Marinette's blue eyes flashed with an unreadable expression, "Do you regret it?"

Alya shook her head, "No. Sometimes I think it would be better if I'd waited a while, but you can't change the past. Besides, our experiences make us who we are. I like who I am."

Marinette seemed to think that over for a while, and nodded eventually. "Yeah, that makes sense," she murmured.

"Are you asking because you're nervous about getting your first kiss, girl? It'll happen when it happens. No sense in worrying about it!" Alya advised sagely.

Marinette's face flushed a deep red, "Uh, y-yes! That's exactly why I'm asking!"

Alya's gaze became calculating as she stared her best friend down. Marinette tried her best to maintain a poker-face, but she couldn't help but to buckle under the pressure.

"No. Way. You've already had your first kiss, and you didn't tell me?" Alya wailed, looking betrayed.

Marinette threw her hands up, gesturing wildly, "No! It wasn't a real kiss, I only did it because everyone was fighting each other because of an akuma!"

Alya's eyes narrowed dangerously behind her glasses, "Spill."

"It was Dark Cupid! He was shooting everyone with arrows, and you got shot with an arrow and said you hated me, and then I chased after him. And then Chat Noir was being _Chat Noir_ , so he took an arrow for me and teamed up with Dark Cupid to try to take my Miraculous! He was fighting me and saying some pretty awful things under the influence of the akuma, and then he said that "hate conquers all", which reminded me of what we studied in class that day! So I only kissed him to break the spell!" Marinette ended her rant and took a deep breath.

Alya blinked as she processed her friend's story.

"Your first kiss was with Chat Noir?" she checked, not trusting her comprehension of Marinette's convoluted story.

"To break the spell," Marinette clarified, still looking slightly red in the face.

"To break the spell," Alya parroted, still looking confused.

"Yes," the pigtailed girl replied, taking Alya's silence as a good sign.

Alya's face split into a mischievous grin, "You liked it, didn't you?"

Though her friend shook her head and denied it vehemently, the color of her face was all the confirmation Alya needed.

"You _did_! You liked it!" Alya screeched, pointing her finger accusingly at her friend.

"Is he a good kisser?" the blogger pressed, leaning forward with interest.

"I-I don't really have anything to compare it to," Marinette mumbled, twisting her pigtail between her fingers.

"Would you do it again, if you had the chance?" Alya inquired, smiling impishly.

Marinette's face became even redder, if at all possible.

"N-No! I don't think so," the pig-tailed girl stammered, as if trying to convince herself.

"You _do_ know that only a special kind of kiss will break magical spells, right?" Alya remarked, examining her unpainted nails.

"A special kind…?" Marinette murmured, furrowing her brow.

"Girl, only _true love's_ kiss will break a magical spell. That's common knowledge," Alya explained matter-of-factly.

"True love's kiss!?" Marinette exclaimed, before burying her face in her hands.

"Um, is this a bad time?" a voice drifted to them from the open hatch on the floor.

"Adrien!" Marinette squeaked, peeking through her fingers at the boy whose head was peering up at them from the hatch.

"I did knock, but I guess you didn't hear me," he murmured shyly, running his fingers through his hair.

Marinette laughed, "We didn't! Sorry, Alya and I were talking, so I wasn't paying attention."

"I can wait downstairs if you want to finish your conversation," he offered cheerfully.

"No way, come on up! You have to get the full experience of Nail Night," Alya insisted. She patted the spot on the floor beside her invitingly.

The blond beamed and nimbly hopped up the rest of the way, landing on Marinette's floor in a graceful crouch before shifting into a sitting position.

Alya rolled her eyes at him, thinking it was a good thing she and Marinette were the only witnesses to his gymnastics display, since the girl absolutely refused to see the connection between him and her crime-fighting partner.

At this point, Alya doubted it was simple obliviousness that kept Marinette from figuring out Chat Noir's identity.

"So, what were you guys talking about?" Adrien asked, leaning back on his elbows and flashing a smile at Marinette.

Alya made a mental note to ask Adrien if his flirting with Marinette was intentional later.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Marinette screeched, flushing bright red.

The model bit his lip, "Oh, girl stuff. Sorry."

Alya snickered, "It was _not_ just girl stuff. Men are interested in romance too, Mari."

If Adrien had been transformed, Alya was sure his cat ears would have perked up at that.

"Romance?" he asked, looking very intrigued. Marinette also looked quite intrigued by his reaction.

"Well, true love's kiss, specifically," Alya explained, trying to keep her grin under control.

"Oh, like we talked about in class on Valentine's Day?" he clarified, an excited gleam in his eye.

Alya knew she had him at that point; the boy was a hopeless romantic.

"Yeah, we were talking about how _only_ true love's kiss can break a magical spell. Marinette said it didn't have to be true love to break the spell," the blogger stated confidently.

Adrien cocked his head to the side; "I think the whole concept of a kiss being able to break a spell is based on the idea that love is so powerful that it can overcome anything, so I don't know that just any kiss would do the trick, y'know?"

Marinette's eyes widened in horror as Adrien's logic hit home, and she clapped a hand over her mouth; Alya nodded enthusiastically.

"But unfortunately, I don't think true love's kiss works in real life," Adrien commented with a wry smile.

"Of course it does. It broke the spell Chat Noir was under when Dark Cupid attacked," Alya assured him with a carefully neutral expression as she filed her nails.

When she glanced back up, Adrien and Marinette wore matching expressions of shock. They truly were perfect for each other.

" _What_ broke the spell?" Adrien asked after finding his voice again.

"A kiss," Alya deadpanned.

Marinette's face drained of color.

"F-From who?" Adrien squeaked.

Alya locked eyes with the boy, savoring his confusion.

"Ladybug, of course," she replied, her gaze unwavering.

His jaw dropped as he stared back, waiting for her to admit that it was just a joke.

Alya's blank expression morphed into a knowing smirk, and Adrien blanched.

"I have to use the restroom," he yelped, zipping out through the trapdoor with Chat Noir speed, leaving behind a pale Marinette and a cackling Alya.


	17. Latte

**This one follows the events of** _ **Expectations**_ **, so this is actually a chapter you** _ **have**_ **been waiting for.**

* * *

 **Latte**

Alya sat across from Nino at their favorite café, sipping her latte as she thought.

"Nino. We've got to get them together," she asserted, slamming her drink down on the table.

Nino was grateful there was a top on it that prevented him from being covered in latte.

"Adrien's a total sap. Dude could use some romance," Nino agreed, adjusting his glasses.

"Exactly! We just need to give them the right push," Alya exclaimed, bringing her hands together with a clap.

"Uhh…How're we gonna do that?" Nino deadpanned.

Alya flicked her wrist dismissively, "Oh, I don't think that'll be hard. After all, she's perfect for him."

Nino shrugged, "I mean, you know her way better than I do."

Alya shot him a glare and crossed her arms, "Even if you don't know her as well as I do, you know enough to see that they're perfect for each other!"

"Well, you did say something about Ladybug and Chat Noir being, like, Yin and Yang, or whatever," Nino said, taking a long sip of his coffee.

"Ah, so you _have_ been listening," Alya commented with a satisfied nod.

The boy narrowed his eyes at his almost-girlfriend, "Well, duh. I'm pretty invested in this too. My bro's gotta get his Lady."

"For sure. I think our main problem is getting Ladybug to notice Chat Noir. Mari's so hung up on Adrien that she isn't giving _Adrien_ a chance," Alya stated in a hushed voice, looking rather exasperated at her friend's obliviousness.

Nino blinked at her, "Wait. _Marinette_ is Ladybug?"

Alya's smile fell, "Aw crap."


	18. Diabolical

**Should I have done this? Absolutely.**

* * *

 **Diabolical**

If there was one thing Plagg loved – other than cheese – it was good, old-fashioned teasing. His love for this avenue of making others uncomfortable was what sparked his collaboration with the owner of the Ladyblog.

They had a silent agreement; Plagg would tease Adrien about his "not-a-crush" on Marinette, and Alya would subtly point out the girl's similarities to Ladybug.

At some point, the silent agreement became a not-so-silent agreement.

It was simple, it was effective, and it was downright diabolical.

The best part of it was that Adrien thought he was going crazy for seeing similarities between Ladybug and his gentle classmate.

Of course, when he saw qualities of his 'Love Bug' in the Princess, he began to recognize that his feelings for the girl who sat behind him weren't simply platonic.

Plagg cackled as he watched his Chosen pace around the room for the nth time that week. He snagged the phone off of the bedside table and retreated into Adrien's oversized closet, phoning the Ladyblogger.

"Hello?"

"It's Plagg. Operation Maribug is nearing completion," he announced, feeling rather satisfied with his work for the day.

"Is that Adrien yelling in the background?" Alya asked.

"Yeah. He'll be fine," Plagg remarked dismissively.

"Are you sure? He sounds really upset," the girl asked, concern dripping from her voice.

"He just realized that he's got feelings for _his princess_ ," Plagg snickered.

"What!? Really?" Alya squealed on the other line.

Plagg winced, "Hey, watch the volume! I've got sensitive ears."

"Sorry. Thanks for the update," she said.

Plagg examined his paw with disinterest, "Any luck with Ladybug?"

Alya groaned, and Plagg shook his head. For someone so smart, that Marinette could be so dense.


	19. Fishy

**So I tried Camembert yesterday (I was very curious), and it's actually pretty good. Really similar to Brie, but with a more woody flavor, I'd say. I don't have much of a sense of smell though, so I can't comment on that!**

 **This chapter is sort of a companion piece to last chapter.**

* * *

 **Fishy**

Nino stared into a pair of mischievous green eyes, wondering when his life became so weird. It honestly started around the same time Adrien came into his life, mostly because Adrien came into his life.

Though that was true, he still couldn't find it in himself to be upset with the boy.

"Name's Plagg. I'm Adrien's _real_ best friend," the floating cat creature stated, a wicked smirk on his face.

Nino narrowed his eyes at the little thing, "Alya told me about you. Said you give my bro a hard time."

Plagg yawned and waved his arm dismissively, "All in good fun."

The DJ looked unconvinced, and Plagg turned toward him with a gaze that seemed rather bored.

"You haven't told him you know yet. Not that I care, but why?" the cat kwami asked, his eyes unblinking.

Nino shrugged, "It hasn't come up. If I think he should know, I'll tell him."

"Oh. That's much less interesting than I thought," Plagg remarked.

"What'd you think I was gonna say?" Nino asked, adjusting the cap on his head.

The black cat grinned, showing off his pointed teeth, "That you wanted to watch him squirm."

"I don't know if I like you, little dude," Nino stated honestly.

Plagg snickered, "That's fair. I think you're okay, though. You're much less dramatic than all the other teenagers. Though that _does_ mean you're less fun to watch."

"Uh, thanks?" Nino said, his voice rising a few octaves toward the end.

"It wasn't a compliment," Plagg remarked, before ducking down into the trashcan and disappearing from sight.

He must have heard Adrien coming.

"Sorry about that, Nino! My dietician took longer to scold me than I thought she would," Adrien called as he entered the room, a sheepish smile on his face.

"Really? What's she so mad about?" Nino asked, eyebrows knitting together with concern.

"Mostly that I've been losing too much weight. She's increasing my calorie intake, so that's awesome," Adrien explained.

"Sounds like there's a 'but' coming," Nino pointed out.

"Yeah, she wants me to start eating more seafood. Something about vitamins, I think. I'm not really against it, but seafood's not my favorite," Adrien admitted, rubbing his neck nervously.

Nino laughed, "I'm sure it'll be fine. Plenty of fish puns to work with."

Adrien grinned, "I guess there _cod_ be an upside."

The bespectacled boy chuckled, "See?"

"I do have a few lines I've been dying to _trout_ ," Adrien continued with a flourish.

"That one really _tanked_ ," Nino replied with a blank expression.

" _Water_ you thinking? It was _fin_ tastic."

"What a load of carp," Nino stated, a smile threatening to crack his stony expression.

"You're right, that one was _reel_ painful," Adrien remarked, shaking with laughter at Nino's participation.

A bout of high pitched snickering emanated from the trashcan, and Adrien shot the waste bin a glare before giving it a good kick.

Nino pretended he didn't hear the tiny "Ouch" that resonated from the container.

* * *

*Fun fact: Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish, such as salmon. They're important for normal growth and development, and are one of the things the human body cannot supply on its own!


	20. Thunder

**This is Chapter 20, and as such, it is an important plot point. Get ready for story advancement!**

* * *

 **Thunder**

Alya huffed and slumped against the wall, looking rather defeated.

"Uh, don't feel too bad. Locking them in the janitor's closet wasn't your _best_ plan," Nino stated, placing a comforting hand on his girlfriend's shoulder.

"How was I supposed to know Marinette could pick locks?" Alya wailed, scrubbing at her face in frustration.

Nino awkwardly patted her shoulder, and the blogger sighed.

"Okay, you're right. It wasn't a very good plan anyway," she admitted.

"Yeah. Too bad we can't trap them together when their timers are counting down," Nino murmured.

Alya's face lit up, "Nino! That's the solution!"

He gave her a flat look, "We can't do that, Alya. Ladybug and Chat Noir could just kick down the door."

Alya deflated, hanging her head in defeat, before she perked up. A grin stretched across her face, and Nino knew it could only mean trouble.

...

"This way, Ladybug!"

"Hurry, Alya!" the spotted superheroine stage-whispered, as her friend pulled her through the crowded halls of the school. The blogger turned a corner and Ladybug skidded around it behind her.

"There!" Alya shouted, pointing to the same closet she'd locked them in before. Ladybug had no time to argue, so she rushed in and moved to pull the door shut behind her.

"Ahh! Chat Noir!" she squeaked.

"M-My Lady?" he stammered from inside the closet.

Her earrings gave one final beep, and she slammed the door shut behind her, plunging them both into darkness. Simultaneous flashes of pink and green emitted from beneath the door, and Alya nearly squealed with excitement.

A few seconds passed, and Alya waited anxiously to hear their reactions, but nothing but hushed whispers came from the closet. The door slowly cracked open, and Adrien poked his head out, lowering the hand that covered his eyes so that he could check to see if there were any witnesses.

Upon realizing that it was only Alya, he stepped out and shut the door behind him. He sighed and gave her a sad smile, "You should leave so Ladybug can come out in a few minutes."

She nodded mutely and watched as he went around the corner and disappeared. A few seconds later, Marinette peeked out and noticed Alya standing there.

"Is the coast clear?" she asked, looking rather paranoid.

"Yeah, nobody's out here except for me," Alya replied.

Marinette stepped out of the closet and straightened her jacket with a relieved expression on her face.

"Wow, that was a close one! If I hadn't shut the door, Chat would've seen me," she remarked, smiling at her best friend as if she'd solved a major problem by thinking her way out of the situation with Chat Noir.

Alya slapped a hand to her face.

…

"I've tried everything, Tikki! Locking them in a closet, having Mari drop in on Adrien unexpectedly, my patented Ultimate Guilt-Trip™, trying to get Adrien to accidentally transform in front of her, pun wars… Nothing is working!" Alya lamented from her spot on Marinette's bed.

The owner of the bed was downstairs assisting her parents with the lunch rush in the bakery. She informed Alya that she would be up shortly with lunch and cookies, which she truly needn't explain, since Alya had been over nearly every Saturday for the past three months.

"I don't know what to tell you, Alya. None of my ideas worked either," Tikki commiserated, sprawling out next to Alya with an exasperated look on her sweet face.

"Maybe I haven't been subtle enough. Maybe I should just work on convincing her to tell him her identity," the blogger suggested, glaring at the ceiling.

"I wish it were that easy," Tikki murmured.

Alya sat up and looked at her with a smile, "Tikki! You should convince her to tell him. She'll listen to you."

The kwami gave her a dubious look, "I don't know."

"Come on, Tikki! You're my secret weapon," Alya exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air with excitement.

Tikki giggled and clasped her tiny hands together, "Well, I don't know how successful I'll be, but I'll give it my best shot!"

Alya smiled, "That's all I ask for."

…

Marinette and Alya sat on her bed reading magazines and occasionally commenting on celebrity gossip.

"Marinette?" a small voice interrupted, drawing both girls' attention to the red sprite who floated in the air before them.

Marinette smiled warmly, "What is it, Tikki?"

"It might be time," she stated, an uncharacteristically serious expression on her face.

"Time for what?" Marinette asked, shifting on the bed so that she was sitting up straight.

Tikki glanced out the window at the gathering clouds, her eyes full of emotion.

"Marinette, everything is about balance. The choice of whether or not to tell Chat Noir your identity was yours. I can only offer you my advice, and _you_ must be the one to decide whether to use it," Tikki explained, a knowing look in her eyes.

"You think I should tell Chat Noir my identity?" Marinette asked, looking a bit curious and slightly afraid.

"I think it would bring more balance to your life than you realize," Tikki said with a bright smile.

Alya nodded enthusiastically, and Marinette looked out the window as well.

"If you think it's a good idea, Tikki…I'll think about it," Marinette concluded.

Alya and Tikki high-fived when Marinette wasn't looking.

…

"So what's the hold up?" a whiny voice demanded from his spot on Adrien's couch.

Alya huffed and slouched down, "She decided not to tell him."

Plagg's slitted eyes narrowed dangerously, "Seriously?"

"Seriously." Alya grumbled, crossing her arms.

The cat kwami was silent for a few minutes – an amazing and terrifying occurrence – before he finally spoke.

"Well then, _she asked for it_."

"Excuse me?" the blogger inquired, concerned about the finality in Plagg's voice.

His cat-like eyes flashed alarmingly, "I can make it happen, but I need Tikki's cooperation."

Alya tilted her head questioningly, and Plagg let out a harsh laugh, "I have the power of bad luck; you don't think I can focus it? I need little miss sunshine to step aside if it's gonna work though, because she can neutralize my bad luck if she protects her girl from me."

Alya regarded the cat creature with a mixture of awe and suspicion, "Mari's not gonna get hurt, is she?"

He rolled his eyes at her, "I'm several thousands of years old. I know how to focus my energy, so don't underestimate me."

"Sorry, you're just so-" Alya began, trailing off as words failed her.

"Awe-inspiring? I know. I get that a lot," Plagg drawled, giving Alya the most well perfected attitude she'd ever seen. If she weren't supposed to be annoyed, she'd be trying to take notes.

She visited Tikki later that day, and the kwami looked rather put out by the idea Alya presented.

"You want me to let Plagg place a bad luck influence on Marinette?" Tikki repeated, her tiny arms crossed as she regarded Alya with something akin to surprise.

Alya held her hands up in a placating gesture, "I'm just telling you his idea. If it's a bad one, we don't have to do it."

Tikki's blue eyes narrowed, and she prepared to tell the blogger why exactly she disliked Plagg's idea, when another idea occurred to her.

Alya watched Tikki's disapproving frown morph into a smile, "Okay. I'll allow it, but only if he allows _me_ to influence Adrien. Our powers work best when used together, after all."

The blogger grinned slyly, "Perfect! I'll let him know what you said, and then we can get started!"

She met with Nino for dinner and smiled the entire time they were on their date. He was walking her home when she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Nino, I have a good feeling about this," she squealed, clasping her hands together with an excited bounce. The boy smiled and shook his head, "You say that about every plan."

Alya cackled wildly, "This time's different!"

Nino frowned and stared at her with a questioning look in his eye, "How?"

"It's Plagg's plan," the girl stated, her grin full of mischief.

Nino's frown deepened, "Plagg? You're kidding."

"I'm not. He's totally in."

The boy sighed and shook his head, "And that's a _good_ thing? Little dude's ruthless."

Alya shrugged, "That's just a risk I'm willing to take."

...

The wind rustled the leaves of the trees as it filtered through the amazingly calm park. A few drops of water rained down intermittently as a calm drizzle peppered the trees.

Mere minutes before, the space had been filled with the chaos of a heated Akuma battle, and Ladybug marveled at the immense difference in atmosphere.

She moved to find the victim, since she still had three spots left on her earrings, and realized that Alya had already helped them from the park to find their loved ones, leaving only Ladybug and Chat Noir behind.

The superheroes' eyes met, and the air was charged with nearly palpable energy. Chat Noir grinned and raised his hand for their customary fist-bump, Ladybug returned the smile and raised her fist.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered that Alya returned from walking the affected person out, and that the rain was beginning to pick up. Thunder rumbled in the distance as she lightly bumped her fist against her partner's.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and Ladybug found herself standing before a slack-jawed Chat Noir in the middle of the park as Marinette. It didn't make sense. She still had three more spots left.

Marinette didn't have time to think of much else, because, just as it had happened to her, Chat Noir's transformation released well before it should have.

A flabbergasted Adrien Agreste stood before her, and she wondered just how she managed to miss all the obvious signs.

"T-Tikki!" Marinette stuttered, glancing over at her kwami for an explanation.

The red sprite shrugged, an odd gleam in her eye, "You accidentally willed the transformation away. I suppose it was just bad luck, Marinette."

The black cat kwami erupted into full-scale maniacal laughter, rolling around in the air and holding his stomach. Marinette noted that he seemed utterly unfazed by the rain, unlike a real cat.

Adrien's shocked expression morphed into an unimpressed scowl as he stared his kwami down, and Alya muffled her own laughter at the situation, hoping to avoid the Sunshine Child's wrath.

Plagg wiped tears from his eyes as his laughter died down, "You should see your faces!"

"Plagg," Tikki began, disapproval in her tone.

The other kwami's slitted eyes bored into hers with smug indifference, "What're you getting so worked up about? You were in on this little plan too, Goody Two-Shoes."

"That doesn't mean you get to be cruel," Tikki clarified with a huff.

Marinette's eyes widened, " _Tikki!?_ "

The red kwami nearly choked at having given herself away, and Plagg howled with glee once again.

Alya gave up on her endeavor to keep her giggles under wraps, and devolved into a laughing fit.

Marinette's gaze went from her best friend to Plagg, and finally settled on Adrien, who was still shooting the cat kwami a dirty look. His blond hair was damp, and a single droplet of water trickled down his nose before falling to the ground.

A smile tugged at the corners of her lips, and his green eyes darted over to meet her gaze.

The pig-tailed girl giggled, breaking the silence between them as she joined in with Alya and Plagg's laughter. Adrien's gaze softened as he watched her, and soon all five of them were laughing at the top of their lungs.

A clap of thunder echoed through the park, and the rain began to pour down in sheets. It did nothing to halt the laughter that spilled forth from the drenched teens.


	21. Resounding

**Fear not! Chapter 20 is not the final chapter; it was more of a mid-point!**

* * *

 **Resounding**

Alya sat in the classroom next to her best friend, a decidedly self-satisfied grin adorning her face. She went the extra mile to make sure Marinette was at school on time that morning.

Alix and Kim were already there, and in the middle of one of their betting games. A few onlookers were already choosing their sides. Marinette and Alya sat on the other side of the room at their regular table.

Marinette was rather chipper, no doubt due to recent events. She smoothed her hair down and turned to Alya with a bright grin, "How do I look?"

The blogger rolled her eyes, "Gorgeous, as always."

Marinette giggled, "Thanks Alya."

Nino and Adrien entered the room next, and Alya watched with amusement as the secret superhero duo immediately locked eyes.

Astoundingly, Marinette kept her cool as she smiled and waved at the blond model. Adrien, however, was not quite as calm and collected.

"G-Good morning, Marinette," Adrien stammered, and Alya clamped a hand to her mouth as she fought back laughter.

"Good morning, Adrien! How are you?" Marinette asked, looking surprised at his odd behavior.

"Great! Never better!" he squeaked, his face flushing an admittedly adorable pink.

Alya shared a look with her best friend, and Marinette's eyes widened with comprehension. Nino placed a supportive hand on Adrien's shoulder, jarring him out of his stupor.

"My bro didn't get enough sleep, so he's a little out of it," Nino explained with a meaningful glance in Alya's direction.

"I couldn't even tell! You look great," Marinette remarked, before realizing what she'd said and blushing tomato red.

"I-I mean, you always look great! N-Not that I've been looking!" the pig-tailed girl blurted. Alya slapped a hand to her forehead.

Adrien's face turned a shade that matched Marinette's, "No, no! _You_ look great, not me! Uh, not that I'm putting myself down or anything!"

Nino slapped a hand to his own forehead as well.

"Might as well slap your own forehead too, Marinette. Looks like _everyone_ in your dork squad is doing it," Chloé remarked with a snicker as she walked past them.

Adrien fixed the girl with a flat look.

"Of course I didn't mean _you_ , Adrikins. You're much too sophisticated to do something like that," the blonde girl stated matter-of-factly.

Adrien very deliberately looked Chloé in the eye, raised his hand up, and brought it to his forehead with a resounding _smack_.

His three on-looking friends erupted in a chorus of laughter, and Chloé huffed in indignation before stomping away.

Their laughter died down, and Alya noted with satisfaction that Adrien's gaze lingered on Marinette much longer than strictly necessary.

Ms. Bustier entered the room, signaling that it was time to get started for the day.

They took their seats and Marinette watched the back of Adrien's head with an unreadable expression. He angled his head just enough to catch her eye, and gave her a flirtatious wink.

Marinette chuckled softly and rolled her eyes, gesturing for him to pay attention to the lesson.

Alya smiled and shook her head. While not as much had changed as she might have hoped, it was definitely a step in the right direction.


	22. Touché

**This one may or may not be a stand-alone. It all depends on what direction the next installment takes me!**

* * *

 **Touché**

Marinette was sprawled out on her floor, with a tower of pillows piled up on her stomach courtesy of one Alya Cesaíre. The blogger added a final pink ruffled pillow to the top of the stack, and stepped back to admire her handiwork.

"Ohmygosh, Alya! Today's Wednesday!" Marinette shouted, jerking bolt upright and scattering Alya's carefully crafted tower of pillows onto the floor.

The blogger looked completely disappointed by her friend's disregard for the art of pillow-tower building. "Yes, Mari. Wednesday comes after Tuesday, and we just experienced Tuesday yesterday."

Marinette gripped Alya's shoulders, urgency in her eyes, "But I meet Chat Noir on Wednesdays! What do I do? Should I do something new with my hair, or would it look like I'm trying too hard? Oh, I need to take a shower! What if I smell all sweaty?"

"Girl! I'm like ninety-nine percent certain Chat Noir has no problem with Ladybug smelling sweaty. He likes you for you. You don't have to change anything to impress him, Marinette," Alya explained patiently.

The girl in question sighed, her shoulders slumping forward, "You're right. I'm just so nervous! I never really thought about what I'd do if Adrien might actually like me back."

Alya laughed, "I'm pretty sure he never thought about what he'd do if Ladybug might actually like him back either, so you're both in the same boat!"

Tikki made her presence known with a giggle, "I think Alya is right. Just relax, Marinette."

"I would, if I wasn't so excited about seeing Adrien- er, Chat," Marinette explained with a sigh.

Alya laughed, "You're hopeless, girl-"

She was cut off by the ringing of her phone, and she glanced at the name before shooting a sly grin at Marinette. Tikki knew that look, so she grabbed a cookie and settled in to watch the unfolding events.

"Speaking of Adrien…" Alya stated, motioning for Marinette to be quiet as she put the phone on speaker.

Adrien's voice emitted from the speaker, filling the silence in the room with noise, "I don't know how to do this, Alya! Can I bring her flowers? Is that too weird? She'd laugh at me, wouldn't she? I mean, it's not like it's a date. I-I mean, not that I don't _want_ to go on a date!"

Tikki giggled quietly, muffling her voice with her hands, while Marinette flushed bright red.

"I just know she's never considered it a date _before_ , and I'd rather take her somewhere special for that, y'know? Not that I'm assuming she wants to go on a date with me. I mean, just because she knows who I am doesn't mean she wants to go out with me now…Or maybe ever. I mean she's not obligated- Alya, what do I do?" Adrien babbled, no doubt panicking on the other end.

"First of all, you stop freaking out. Second of all, just take it slow and be yourself," Alya advised.

"Take it slow? Have you _met_ me?" Adrien challenged.

"Touché," Alya admitted.

She glanced over at Marinette, who was stunned into silence by the overheard conversation with her crush.

"All right. Forget the 'take it slow' advice, then. But definitely be yourself, okay?" Alya said, giving Marinette a conspiratorial wink.

She exchanged goodbyes and hung up, smirking at Marinette's flabbergasted expression. It was one thing to hear from Alya that Chat Noir was interested in her, but it was another thing to hear it directly from him.

"See, he's just as nervous as you are," Alya said as she patted her friend's arm encouragingly.

"He _did_ sound pretty nervous," Marinette conceded, a small smile creeping into her expression.

Alya mentally patted herself on the back for a job well done, "Yeah. So don't sweat it, girl!"

The pig-tailed girl beamed for a few seconds, before the panicked gleam returned to her eye. The brunette was forced to stop in the midst of her mental celebration.

Alya's shoulders drooped in defeat, "What is it now?"

"It's going to be so awkward!" Marinette squealed, burying her head under her pillows.

The blogger rolled her eyes and pulled a pillow off so that she could see her friend's face, "Because it wasn't awkward _before_ this identity thing."

Marinette just stared back blankly.

"Ha. Funny."

"Look, I'm just saying that this isn't bad. You've both been running in circles forever, maybe that can stop now!" Alya explained.

Marinette glared at her, "Stop running in circles? Have you _met_ me?"

Alya smiled fondly at Marinette's stolen line. Truly, they were made for each other.

"Touché."


	23. Reverb

**This one is written in a style reminiscent of** _ **Permafrost,**_ **which is one of my favorite stories in this collection.**

 **Also, I thought it was about time for a Nino-centric chapter!**

* * *

 **Reverb**

If Nino had not been "in the know" about Ladybug and Chat Noir's true identities, perhaps the situation at hand would be less mortifying. As it happened, he knew _exactly_ who was under that mask, and wondered if it was possible for one to die of shame.

He unintentionally caused the elderly woman next door to become akumatized, and was about to be blasted with a concussive sound wave when Ladybug swooped in, threw him over her shoulder, and escaped onto the rooftops.

Shortly after, he was staring down at the streets below as she swung between buildings, seeing as how he couldn't look anywhere but down.

"I am Madame Reverb, and you misbehaving children will know what it is to be disturbed by loud noises!"

Being thrown over Ladybug's shoulder like a sack of potatoes? That was okay; his pride could escape intact.

Being thrown over his class president's shoulder, though? That was a little more embarrassing, but his image could still be salvageable.

"Get him to safety! I'll take care of the akuma. I'll call you if anything changes," Ladybug ordered as she addressed her crime-fighting partner.

Then, she transferred him into Chat Noir's waiting arms, and that was where Nino thought that his pride might never rise from the ashes of its defeat.

Being cradled in the arms of his best bro was simply more embarrassing than the boy could take.

The feline-themed superhero held Nino bridal style as he leaped down from the roof and straight through the open window of an abandoned building.

As soon as they touched down, Nino scrambled out of Chat Noir's grip, eager to get to his feet and put the whole incident behind him.

Outside, a loud blast of noise decimated the rooftop they previously occupied; Nino winced.

Chat Noir quickly drew the curtains closed, peeking out through a small crack to watch the battle unfolding. No doubt, he was concerned for Ladybug's wellbeing.

An amplified voice boomed across the city, " _Where is Nino Lahiffe?"_

Nino visibly paled, scooting away from the window as subtly as he could manage.

Chat Noir turned to him, a curious gleam in his eye, "So what'd you do to make her so angry?"

Nino flushed and fidgeted with his shirt, since his hat had fallen off somewhere between being scooped up by Ladybug and being handed over to Chat Noir.

"Uh, she's my neighbor. Guess my music was too loud," he explained, feeling rather sheepish for practicing his DJ routine so noisily. He'd have to remember to be more considerate to Madame Dubois in the future, since his music had upset her badly enough to warrant an akumatization.

Another concussive blast cut through the air and shook the foundation of the building, causing Nino to stumble.

Chat Noir was there in a flash, catching him under the elbow and pulling him back upright with a teasing smile.

"Careful, random citizen I-may-or-may-not-have-met-before," he stated, using a rather over-the-top tone of voice.

Nino wondered at it for a few seconds, but his thoughts were cut short as Chat Noir grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him out through the door of the empty apartment.

It wasn't a moment too soon, as a sonic blast demolished the room they'd just been standing in.

"Dude! That was close," Nino remarked, grateful for his friend's cat-like reflexes.

"Do not be alarmed. I, Chat Noir, will protect you," the cat-boy announced in the kind of voice Nino heard superheroes use on children's cartoons. It was all he could do not to break down in a fit of laughter.

Losing focus at that point could cause serious injury, or so he tried to remind himself. A small snort threatened to break through his control, but another sound blast reminded him of his immediate peril, and he picked up the pace.

"Left at this building, Civilian!" the blond cried, rounding the corner so sharply that Nino felt like his arm had almost left its socket.

To be fair, he _had_ tried to warn him.

As he ran along behind Chat Noir, who continued to use the dramatized voice, it suddenly occurred to him that Adrien was worried about Nino recognizing him.

It was the only plausible explanation for the ridiculous act he was putting on. Perhaps the time to tell him what he knew had finally come.

"A sharp right turn, good sir!"

Or perhaps it would be fun to let this go on for a while.

Nino snorted, and the blond boy gave him a passing glance before his eyes widened as he focused on Madame Reverb, who was about to shoot another concussive wave from her cane.

Chat Noir gave a quick exclamation of surprise, and yanked them both into a roll. They narrowly avoided a blast that took out a good chunk of the street, and finally rolled to a stop behind a building that momentarily hid them from view.

Nino realized that Chat Noir was still crouching over him as he scanned their surroundings, and wondered once again if he could die of shame.

It might be better than his quality of life if pictures of this ever surfaced.

Chat Noir seemed completely unfazed as he climbed off of Nino and offered a hand to help him up.

"Cats usually land on their feet, so I a _paw_ logize for the rough landing," he said with a proud smirk.

Nino resisted the urge to berate him for considering that a good joke. The guy seriously needed to up his game; it was like he wasn't even trying.

"Even with the help of that incompetent cat imposter, you cannot escape me!" the akumatized victim announced.

"Wow, that really _Hertz_ ," Chat Noir stated, clutching at his chest in mock pain.

Madame Reverb dropped down in front of them, and Ladybug followed close behind. She knocked the woman's next shot off course with her yoyo and slid into place beside Chat Noir.

"We're always on the same _wavelength_ , My Lady" he quipped, throwing a wink in her direction.

"Well, we do bump into each other with _frequency_ ," she replied, giving him a smug smile. Nino chuckled at the way his best friend's face lit up when he realized that Ladybug had made a _sound pun_.

The moment was short lived, and Nino yelped as Madame Reverb sent another attack their way. It was deflected at the last minute by Chat Noir's staff, and Ladybug shoved Nino toward him.

"Make sure he gets out of here, and then circle around to Cataclysm her cane! That's where the akuma is," Ladybug muttered, low enough that the victim couldn't hear her.

"I'm on it, Bugaboo," Chat agreed, throwing Nino onto his back and dodging incoming blasts from Madame Reverb's cane.

The DJ caught sight of Alya who was recording everything, and hoped against hope that she had just arrived on the scene, and had missed most of his embarrassing encounter.

"Ah, dude, could you put me down somewhere?" he asked, keeping an eye on Ladybug and Madame Reverb.

"Not until I know you're safe," Chat Noir replied, seemingly forgetting to use the superhero voice. Nino rolled his eyes, smiling fondly; he didn't use the voice, but he was still dramatic.

"Yeah, well, could ya at least get me out of Alya's recording?" Nino requested.

Chat Noir glanced back at him momentarily, and then he snickered, "What? You don't want anyone to see me giving you a piggy-back ride?"

"Not very manly, y'know?" Nino responded, wishing he had just used his headphones during practice. That way he could have been chilling at home rather than clinging to his best friend's back while he narrowly avoided sound blasts.

The cat themed superhero cackled, "Sorry."

He didn't sound very apologetic.

" _Where_ is Nino Lahiffe?" Hawkmoth's latest villain demanded in a shrill voice, as Nino and Chat Noir ducked behind a building and disappeared from her sight.

"Remain here, Citizen! I, Chat Noir, must assist Ladybug," the blond boy announced, and Nino rolled his eyes as the 'hero' voice made another appearance.

Chat Noir turned his back and extended his baton. He was prepared to take his leave when Nino called out to him.

"Hey, wait!" the bespectacled boy called, raising a hand up to rest on the hero's shoulder. Slitted catlike eyes met his, curiosity gleaming just beneath the surface.

Nino offered him a soft smile, "Thanks for saving me, Adrien."

The ethereal green eyes widened and he opened his mouth as if to say something, when an explosion sounded in the distance.

"Chat Noir! I could really use some help right now!" Ladybug shouted from her place perched on the edge of the building's roof. The leather clad hero glanced up at her, then at Nino, and back again.

"C-Coming!" he stammered, giving Nino a meaningful look before pole-vaulting onto the rooftop beside her.

The DJ knew he'd be having another one of _those_ conversations once the attack was over, but reveled in the fact that he'd managed to leave the infamous Chat Noir speechless.

Nino laughed to himself despite the cacophony of sounds from the ongoing battle nearby.

He wondered if this was how Alya felt when she was teasing Marinette. If so, he could understand why she did it so often.

It wasn't long before the noises ceased, and the Miraculous Cure swept through the streets repairing all the damage from Madame Reverb's sonic attacks.

"So you finally told him?"

Alya's voice cut through the silence, and he turned around to face her. The girl's arms were crossed over her chest, and her phone was in hand.

Nino chuckled, "Yeah. Pretty hilarious."

Alya hummed and swiped the screen of her phone, "Speaking of hilarious…"

The boy's smile fell.

"I have the cutest picture of you two! I think I'm gonna frame it," she remarked with a sly grin as she held up her phone.

On the screen was a picture of Nino cradled in Chat Noir's arms. Alya's rambunctious laughter filled silence of the relatively empty city streets.

If Nino had not been "in the know" about Chat Noir's true identity, perhaps the situation at hand would be less mortifying. As it happened, he knew _exactly_ who was under that mask, and once again wondered if it was possible for one to die of shame.


	24. Escape

**I wrote an entire one shot and decided I hated it, so I scrapped the idea and wrote this instead. Life of an artist, am I right?**

* * *

 **Escape**

After a long day of school, Alya and Marinette were more than ready to hit the town for some much needed retail therapy. They entered the subway and took their usual place at the front of the car, smiling and giggling as they recalled the way Chloé stormed out of class in an effort to "punish them with her absence".

"Chloé's absence was more _reward_ than punishment," Alya remarked.

Marinette turned to glance through the window mid-laugh, and froze as she met a pair of familiar green eyes on the other side. It gave her an understandable sense of déjà vu to see the blond model waving at her from the car in front of them.

Her smile spread wider as she waved back, admiring the way his face lit up at her friendly response.

"Looks like Paris's resident escape artist is at it again," Alya commented with an amused grin.

Marinette giggled and made a face at him through the glass, which he returned with a ridiculous waggle of his eyebrows. Marinette knew a challenge when she saw it, and was fully prepared to pull out all the stops. She pushed her lips out and made a fish face, and he responded with a smolder that belonged on the cover of a magazine instead of on a subway train.

She replied with a silly cross-eyed look, which made him fight a smile but wasn't quite enough to make him crack.

He shifted into a flashy pose, placing his arm behind his head as he upped the ante on his smolder to comical proportions. The dark haired girl powered through her light blush and stuck out her tongue in a childish act of defiance.

He gave a flirtatious wink in response, lips quirked in a devilish smirk.

"Meep," Marinette squeaked, giving no response save for a slack-jawed stare. Alya gently pushed her mouth closed, rolling her eyes at Adrien's triumphant fist pump.

An elderly woman with snow-white hair tapped Marinette's arm from her place seated roughly behind her. The girls turned to her and she smiled at Marinette, "You have a very handsome boyfriend."

"O-Oh! He's not!" Marinette replied quickly, still flustered by Adrien's flirty wink.

The woman raised a silver eyebrow glancing through the window at the blond model and back to Marinette, skepticism apparent. The pig-tailed girl realized her mistake.

"Oh no! He's, well, he's gorgeous. Just, _look at him_. I just meant that he isn't mine! M-My boyfriend, I mean," Marinette explained, twiddling her thumbs awkwardly.

The old woman chuckled, her eyes crinkling with mirth. "I'll offer you a bit of advice. When a boy looks at you the way he's watching you right now, and you like him enough to get that flustered…usually it's a sign that he should be your boyfriend."

Marinette glanced up and caught Adrien's eye. His showy pose and smirk were gone, replaced by a softer, more genuine smile. Her heart did a little flip in her chest, and she smiled back at him.

"Come on, Mari. This is our stop," Alya reminded the girl, placing a hand on her back and guiding her toward the exit.

"It was nice to meet you, Madame!" Marinette called over her shoulder. The woman smiled and waved as the two girls left. Adrien noticed that they were getting off, and quickly followed as well.

"Hey! What are you ladies up to?" he greeted, flashing an eager smile.

"We should be asking you that question," Alya teased.

Adrien gave a sheepish smile and shrugged, "Uh, I was bored so I decided to see where the day would take me. Looks like it led me to you two."

Alya gave him an amused look, "If I didn't know you could take care of yourself, I'd be worried about your safety."

Adrien gave her a playful grin, "Don't worry, I've got this in the bag."

"Subtle cat reference, very classy," Marinette complimented with a lighthearted nudge.

"I hope that wasn't sarcasm; I thought it was pretty good," he replied.

"It was decent," Marinette assured him.

"We were on our way to go shopping," Alya interjected.

"I figured, given where you got off," Adrien replied, a knowing grin on his face.

"I'm mostly going to be window shopping, but there's a big shoe sale going on today," Marinette explained, going starry-eyed at the prospect of getting a few new pairs of shoes.

"Need someone to carry your bags?" Adrien offered. His gaze was hopeful, and Marinette turned to Alya for an answer to the question. It was supposed to be a girl thing, but the pig-tailed girl would never say no to having Adrien tag along.

Alya squinted at him for a few minutes, and then she sighed as she seemed to come to a conclusion. "Okay. Who am I to deprive my best friend of true happiness?"

"Are you sure, Alya? I mean, you said we were spending girl time," Marinette checked, trying to hide her enthusiasm at the prospect of spending time with her crush. She was unsuccessful in her endeavor.

Alya rolled her eyes, "If Agreste can crash Nail Night on the reg, then he can totally hang with us for girl time."

The trio laughed as they went up the steps to exit the metro, and quieted down as they arrived at the shopping center. Marinette's bluebell eyes darted around as she evaluated the best course of action.

"When do you want to hit the shoe store?" Alya inquired.

The dark-haired girl nodded thoughtfully, "Best to get that out of the way first, since they might run out of our sizes!"

Her companions concurred, and headed off in the direction of the store. Adrien made a point to allow the girls to lead the conversation, chiming in when he saw an opportunity to add something useful, and staying silent when they went off on tangents.

They were still in transit to the store when Marinette completely forgot he was there.

"Ooh, Alya! Look at that dress," Marinette exclaimed, pointing to a shop window. The mannequin supported a beautiful white wedding dress with intricate embroidery and lace.

"It's nice, but I bet you could design a better one," Alya replied, mentally sizing it up.

"Oh, of course there are things that I would change, but wouldn't that cut look gorgeous on you?" Marinette gushed, trailing her fingers over the glass as if she wished she could reach through and touch the dress.

Alya laughed, "I guess so, but it looks more like your style."

Marinette gave her a funny look, "It does look a little like one of my top six."

"Top six?" Alya asked, beating Adrien to the punch.

Marinette bounced excitedly and grabbed her best friend's hands, "My six favorite future wedding dresses that I've designed! I have one for each season, and then an extra for winter and autumn."

Alya raised an eyebrow, "Why an extra for winter and autumn?"

Marinette stared at her like it should be obvious, "I'd prefer a cold weather wedding, and I like having options. But I don't know what _he_ would want so I had to be prepared for other seasons too."

Adrien blinked, "Wow. Do you have your groom picked out already too?"

Marinette huffed and whirled to face him, "Well, of _course_ I-"

She realized who she was looking at, and her face drained of color.

"N-Nevermind!" she shouted, walking away so quickly that she was nearly jogging in the direction of the shoe store.

The blond turned to Alya for an explanation, but the blogger just gave him an impish grin before she whirled around to follow Marinette.

"Wait! Alya!" he called, trailing behind her like a lost puppy.

When he arrived at the shoe store, Marinette was already trying on a pair of shoes. She twisted around to get a better look at them in the mirror.

"Those look great on you," he stated, offering her a friendly smile. She smiled back, but still looked uncertain.

"I like these ankle boots, but I'm not too sure about the color," she confessed.

Adrien nodded in understanding, "Taupe is going to be in next season, though. We've already started shooting for the fall line, and I've seen a few boots and pocketbooks in that color."

Marinette perked up, "Oh! I _did_ hear rumors about that, but none of the fashion designers have confirmed it yet."

The boy smiled shyly, "Well, let's keep it between you and me. I'm not supposed to say anything about Father's unreleased designs, but technically I only gave you a color, so it shouldn't be a big deal."

Marinette's eyes widened, "You could get in trouble, Adrien!" He laughed and waved her off, "I'm saving _you_ trouble in the future. I'd say it's a worthy cause."

The pig-tailed girl's lips quirked up in a smile, and an unreadable emotion swam behind her blue eyes. "You're always saving me, aren't you?"

He met her eyes, green pools full of warmth as he returned her gaze. "I always will."

Alya watched from her place just a few paces behind Adrien's left shoulder, a wide smile stretched across her face as she took in the way her friends looked at each other.

Perhaps someday she would be helping Marinette choose her wedding dress, but for now, she was content to simply watch the story unfold in its own time.

Although, there was nothing wrong with giving a few nudges here and there.


	25. Unconcealed

**I apologize for the 'longer than usual' wait! I've been hitting a lot of roadblocks lately. I have many one-shots that I started but didn't finish because they didn't feel like they fit the tone I've set for this collection.**

 **Enjoy the Marinette-centered chapter!**

* * *

 **Unconcealed**

Since the first week of school, it had been Marinette's dream to be paired with Adrien Agreste for a school project. Mere weeks ago, she would have been beside herself with nerves and plagued by incoherent outbursts of joy at the thought of it.

When she finally heard Adrien's name called alongside her own for something other than attendance, she didn't react the way she dreamed she would.

There was a lot of internal screaming, but for completely different reasons than usual.

"Looks like we're partners, Marinette," Adrien remarked, looking ridiculously satisfied. His grin was so remarkably catlike that she wanted to shove him off of his seat.

She restrained herself, because it would look rather odd for Marinette Dupain-Cheng to push Adrien Agreste to the floor, and she wasn't sure how she would explain it when questioned.

Instead, she settled for twisting the fabric of her shirt between her fingers.

How was she going to handle an entire day at the Louvre and the subsequent workdays spent on the report portion with Adrien? Alya seemed to pick up on her distress, and gave her an incredulous look.

Marinette simply shrugged helplessly; how could she possibly explain why she wasn't looking forward to partnering up with her crime-fighting partner?

Even _Marinette_ didn't quite understand why she was put out by it.

She decided that it wouldn't do to let this assignment get in the way of her life, so she resolved herself to staring at the board while everyone else was paired off.

Marinette jolted as a pair of curious green eyes obscured her view of the blank board. "You know, this means we'll have to spend a lot of time together," Adrien remarked, eyes almost sparkling with excitement as he leaned his elbows on her desk.

A soft smile tugged at her lips in spite of her best efforts, "I suppose you're right."

His grin grew impossibly wider, "I'm excited! I usually don't get you all to myself." He balked as he realized what he'd said, "I, uh…that- you, um…"

Marinette giggled and gently patted his cheek; "It'll be nice to spend time with you too, Adrien."

He beamed back at her, and the tips of her fingers lingered on his face longer than really necessary. Marinette felt intuitively drawn to him, and he peered into her eyes with unconcealed affection.

"Aww, look at the lovebirds," Alya teased in a sing-song voice, shaking them out of their moment long enough for Marinette to realize they were in school and many of their classmates were watching.

They both flushed, and Adrien jerked around to face the right way in his seat, while Marinette buried her face in her hands. Nino snickered, and received a half-hearted punch in the shoulder from his best friend.

Somewhere in the background, Rose sighed dreamily and Chloé demanded to know what happened that had half of the class whispering with excitement. Mercifully, Sabrina had the good sense to pretend she hadn't seen anything.

Alya gave the redhead a salute and turned her attention to their teacher, who was doing her best to rein the class in for discussion on their project requirements.

"As you all know, you'll be sticking with your partner for our field trip. No one is to switch partners without consulting with me first. That being said, enjoy your lunch break!" Ms. Bustier announced.

There was a flurry of movement as everyone began gathering their things to go to lunch, and Adrien was about to rise from his seat when he suddenly found himself caged in by Chloé's arm.

"Adrikins! There has obviously been a mistake. You and I should be partners," the blonde girl asserted, and began trying to tug him out of his seat.

The boy gave a polite smile and gently removed her hand from his arm, "Sorry, Chlo. I'm perfectly happy to be partnered with Marinette."

Chloé looked as if he'd just sprouted an extra head.

"But it's _Marinette_ ," she spat, as if the name alone should be reason enough to change his mind.

Nino and Alya shared a look, and the blogger was prepared to swoop in for a save should Chat Noir's righteous fury flare up.

"I like Marinette," he replied, his expression surprisingly kind despite Alya's expectations.

The blonde girl scoffed, "No need to spare her feelings, she's a big girl."

Steel flashed in his eyes, and an uncharacteristic frown settled on his features, "Chloé, that's enough."

She didn't seem to be capable of reading his mood, "Alright then. If you're fine settling for mediocrity, who am I to stop you?"

The tensing of his shoulders was the only forewarning anyone received; before Adrien was shooting Chloé a disarming, yet rather forced, smile.

"I'd hardly call it settling, Chloé. After all, that figure of speech is usually used when you accept _less_ than you deserve, not more," he replied, quiet defiance making its way into his voice.

Chloé's icy blue eyes darted between him and Marinette a few times, before she flipped her hair and sauntered off.

"You'll come to your senses eventually, Adrikins," she called over her shoulder as Sabrina followed her out the door.

Alya glared openly at the spot the girl had been standing in, and Marinette placed a steadying hand on Adrien's shoulder.

"You roasted her, bro!" Nino enthused, grinning from ear to ear.

Adrien looked rather upset, and Marinette shot Nino a mild frown before addressing the blond boy, "I know Chloé is important to you; that couldn't have been easy."

Adrien offered a warm smile in response, "I couldn't let her talk about my partner like that."

Marinette couldn't help the grin that stretched across her face at hearing the Chat Noir in Adrien's voice.

"I love you," she breathed.

All three of her friends inhaled sharply, and Adrien cocked his head to the side, positive that he'd misheard her, "W-What?"

"I-I love that you stood up for me! It was nice very! V-Very nice!" Marinette shrieked; she snatched her book bag off of the floor and nearly shoved Alya from her seat.

"We need to go to get lunch, seeyalatergottagobye!" the pig-tailed girl called as she ushered Alya out of the room.

Once they were safely out of earshot, Alya turned a critical stare on her friend, "Really, girl? Really?"

Marinette chuckled nervously, "That could've gone better."

Alya chortled with laughter, and Marinette joined in after a while.

Their laughter didn't die down until they were seated in Marinette's floor. Alya sighed and took a bite of her cookie, glancing over at Tikki, who looked curiously amused.

Alya turned to her best friend with a serious expression, "We've gotta plan a real confession, ASAP."

With that statement, their uproarious laughter picked up once again, interwoven with the tinkling giggles of a certain Ladybug kwami.


	26. Translucent

**If you have a better name for Chat Noir's fanclub, please let me know. Seriously. My idea is stupid.**

* * *

 **Translucent**

No one could say that André Bourgeois didn't know how to throw a party. At least, that is what Alya thought as she wove her way through the colorful crowd of cocktail dresses and bowties.

Her own dress was a gold tea-length number with a strappy back. Alya's hair was in a classy up-do, courtesy of her mother, and she wore a pair of sensible black heels. Around her neck hung her new camera, a fancy birthday gift from Adrien.

Several other guests carried cameras, including Nadja Chamack's cameraman, who trailed behind the reporter as he always did. Alya's wildly popular Ladyblog had secured her a spot on the guest list of this party, and the aspiring journalist was among the youngest people there.

Chloé and Sabrina stood near the middle of the room, glancing around every so often as they looked for someone. Alya knew they were likely anticipating the arrival of the most important guests of all.

The mayor stepped up to the microphone; "I'd like everyone to join me in welcoming our guests of honor!" The crowd erupted into cheers as Ladybug and Chat Noir entered the room.

They both arrived in their regular suits, though the future fashion designer couldn't reconcile herself with the fact that she would be attending a fancy cocktail party in the same suit she wore every day. So she added a few things to her normal attire.

Ladybug's hair was up in sophisticated twin buns, and she wore a voguish translucent black dress over her suit. If trouble arose, it would be a simple matter of unclasping the lightweight material and letting it drop to the floor so that she could do battle.

Chat Noir had done nothing special with his appearance for the party. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy that no one cared, if the gleeful expression on his face was any indication.

Alya had to restrain her laughter as she recorded their entrance with her camera; she was a professional, after all.

After the longest Thank You speech of their natural lives, André implored everyone to have a great time, and the superhero team descended into the crowd.

Chamack closed in on them before Alya could get close enough to intercept her. Alya smirked at the reporter, who seemed to think she'd beaten the Ladyblogger at something.

When they finally escaped from the woman, Chat Noir smirked and offered Ladybug his arm, which she took with surprising grace.

Alya knew she needed to get the interview out of the way so that she could leave them alone. She approached with a knowing smile and pointed the camera at them.

"Got anything to say for the Ladyblog?" she prodded, while they both grinned into the camera.

"We appreciate your support," Ladybug stated, her hand still settled in the crook of her partner's arm.

"Stay _claw_ -some," Chat Noir remarked with a self-satisfied grin. Ladybug snatched her hand away from him and crossed her arms over her chest as an act of defiance.

The cat-themed superhero dramatically placed a hand over his heart, "She doesn't a- _purr_ -ciate my sense of humor." The spotted superheroine rolled her eyes, and Alya chuckled, "Well, we'll let you two get back to your party. Until next time!"

She promptly turned off the camera and grinned at her friends. "That was great! The Chatterboxes will love it!" Alya remarked.

"Chatterboxes?" Ladybug asked, confusion flashing across her face.

"Chat Noir's fanclub," the blogger explained. The cat-boy snickered.

Ladybug gave them a flat look, "Why am I not surprised that it's a pun?"

The lights dimmed and the band began playing a tasteful waltz, and Alya saw the way Chat Noir's eyes lit up as he turned to his partner and offered her his hand.

"May I have this dance, My Lady?" he asked, sweeping into a charming bow. A blush flared to life beneath Ladybug's mask, and she shyly placed her hand in his.

Alya watched with bated breath as he pressed a light kiss to her knuckles. When Ladybug made no move to withdraw, he beamed and began leading her toward the dance floor.

They were well into their third dance when Alya realized that she had a camera, and had missed that adorable hand kiss.

She sighed and lifted the camera up to capture the way they laughed and swung each other around the dance floor, as if they were the only two people on Earth.

It wasn't necessarily romantic to other bystanders; it looked like best friends having fun, but Alya knew them in a way everyone else didn't. So when they took a seat to drink water, laughing amongst themselves with those animated grins on their faces, she knew that those were the expressions of love-struck fools.

Alya sipped her sparkling cider from a champagne glass, legs crossed beneath the white tablecloth as she watched her best friend interact with her crush from across the room.

"Those two are either in a relationship, or they're going to be," a familiar voice stated. Alya turned to her mother, who was wearing her work uniform and carrying a covered dish.

"What makes you say that?" Alya asked, more out of a desire to hold a conversation rather than true curiosity. It was obvious that they were going to be in a relationship; Alya would make sure of it.

Chef Césaire regarded her daughter with a glint of wisdom in her eye, "The way they're looking at each other right now."

Alya scrutinized her friends, who were obviously talking about something lighthearted. Chat's slitted eyes were locked onto Ladybug's but she didn't see anything remarkable in his gaze.

The blogger shrugged, "What way? I don't see anything different from usual."

Chef Césaire smiled at her daughter, "It's in the subtleties, dear."

Meanwhile, a certain blonde haired girl zeroed in on Paris's heroes and darted over to plant herself in the seat beside Ladybug.

"Oh, Ladybug! It's so good to see you again. It's too bad you're always _so_ busy saving Paris, 'cause then we could hang out more!" Chloé remarked, as if she held conversation with the superheroine every day.

"Yeah, too bad," Ladybug replied drily, slouching down ever so slightly.

Sabrina slid into the seat beside Chat Noir, her shoulders hunched as she gave him a shy wave.

"H-Hello Chat Noir," she greeted in a quiet voice, pushing her glasses up on her nose. The cat boy gave her a bright smile in response, and extended a clawed hand toward the redhead.

"Hey! Sabrina, isn't it? I think we've met a few times before," he stated.

The girl gave his hand a gentle shake as she gazed back at him in wonder.

"You remember my name?" she asked, clasping her hands together as she beamed at him.

The blond leaned back and threw his arm over the back of his chair, giving off a relaxed air. "Of course I do," he replied matter-of-factly.

The redhead squealed with excitement, "Oh I _told_ Chloé you were more than just a pretty face! You're so thoughtful and sweet."

Chat Noir chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, "Uh, thank you."

Sabrina smiled and bobbed her head up and down rapidly, "Ladybug is so _lucky_ to have a guy like you around." The boy chuckled, "Wow, was that a pun?"

The redhead bounced in her seat, "You noticed! I know it wasn't very good, but I thought I'd give it a shot!"

"I can _spot_ a pun a mile away," Chat Noir replied with a smirk, and Ladybug groaned from her place beside him. Ladybug obviously wasn't very invested in Chloé's story about her day at school if she was paying enough attention to react to his puns.

In fact, the spotted superheroine looked absolutely miserable. The cat boy frowned and prepared to find an excuse to get her out of there.

"Is that _Jagged Stone_?" a female voice cried in the distance.

Sabrina sat up a little straighter, and her head swiveled in the direction of the voice.

" _Where_?" the redhead inquired, nearly bouncing in her seat.

Chloé glanced around and loosened her vise-like grip on Ladybug's arm. "Oh, I _must_ go say hello to my friend. Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back!"

The blonde nearly leapt from her seat and dragged Sabrina along in her haste to find the rock star. As soon as she was out of earshot, Ladybug gave her partner a sly look.

"Oh we're definitely going somewhere," she remarked, smoothing the wrinkles out of the sleeve of her chiffon dress.

"I'll follow you anywhere, My Lady," Chat Noir replied, a flirty wink at the ready.

"You're welcome," Alya chimed in, beaming with pride as she approached their table. She came to a stop a few feet away, placing her hands on her hips in a heroic pose.

"The heroes of Paris needed saving, and Alya Césaire rose to the occasion," she announced.

The superheroes wore matching grins.

"You're the best, Alya," Ladybug exclaimed.

"I know. Now get to that dance floor before _Daddy's Girl_ comes back!" she urged them, ushering the heroes out of their seats.

"You don't have to tell me twice," the dark haired girl replied with a curt nod, twin buns bobbing on top of her head.

The music swelled as the song changed, and Chat Noir's eyes lit up once again.

"That's a tango!" he enthused, looking delighted at the prospect. His excitement was palpable, and the boy was nearly vibrating in place.

Ladybug looked less than delighted as she took his hand and patted it, "My ballroom dancing class only covered the basics of tango, so don't get too excited."

He used their joined hands to pull her in closer, leaving only a few inches of space between their faces.

"This cat happens to be a great dance instructor," he murmured, his stance rather charismatic as Ladybug stared into his eyes. She seemed rather amused, and a smile pulled at her lips.

"Well, I won't stop you from trying," she replied, a light blush coloring her cheeks as she tightened her grip on his hand.

Alya's left hand flew up to cover her mouth, while her right snagged a picture. The sound of the clicking shutter jarred them both back to the matter at hand.

"We better get going, Kitty," Ladybug called as she began leading the way to the dance floor.

He kept pace beside her, a goofy grin on his face as he swung their joined hands between them. Alya snagged several more pictures and videos as the night went on, smiling at her friends' antics.

Ladybug was a quick learner, and soon she was allowing Chat Noir to swing her around the dance floor as if they were professional dancers. The crystal chandeliers of the ballroom twinkled as the superheroes glided across the floor beneath them, and the sea of cocktail dresses never encroached upon them.

The band continued to play a variety of dancing music, but from that point on, it seemed that they incorporated a lot more tango than before. Ladybug and Chat Noir danced the night away, laughing all the while.


	27. Trials I

**I realize it took me a long while to post this, and I'm sorry about that. I also realize that the writers' blackout was happening, and I'd be a liar if I said that was why I didn't update. Life got pretty crazy, and I was being a perfectionist.**

 **I was originally going to post everything as one very long one-shot, but I realized that maybe the stories I need to tell would function best as shorter one-shots. Therefore, these next few updates are going to be 100% connected!**

 **Enjoy these rare Adrien centric one-shots!**

* * *

 **Trials I**

Adrien stood before the mirror in his immaculate bathroom. His mother's summery green eyes peered back at him, framed by a shorter version of her golden blonde locks.

He often took pride in the fact that he looked just like his mother. It wasn't as much her outer beauty that he admired; it was her warm and loving nature. He strove to channel those qualities in himself.

Sometimes when he smiled into the mirror, he could imagine that it was her smiling back at him. Those times were welcome when he needed reassurance or comfort.

Adrien gave his reflection an admittedly shaky grin. Instead of seeing his mother in his smile, all he saw was nerves.

"Okay, it's not the end of the world. You're just trying to figure out how to ask the most amazing _girl_ in the world out on a date. No pressure," he murmured, hands gripping the edge of the sink as he stared into his own eyes.

"Really? 'Cause it looks like you're feeling a lot of pressure," Plagg remarked. The black cat kwami floated over into the space above Adrien's right shoulder, hovering in place as he gave the boy a smile full of mischief.

"Way to be encouraging, buddy," Adrien replied flatly.

"Anytime," the tiny cat creature stated with a dismissive wave of his arm.

"Ugh, how do I even start? She's so incredible, Plagg," the blond boy murmured, turning his head to watch his companion sink down onto the counter as he cradled a wedge of cheese in his little arms.

Plagg rolled his eyes, "Say go on a date with me. It's that simple."

Adrien narrowed his eyes at the kwami, "I'm pretty sure it I'll need a little more tact than that."

The kwami jabbed an accusing paw at him, "If my advice is so bad, why don't you ask your DJ friend. I'm sure he'd be _way_ more insightful than a guy who's been alive for millennia."

The blond boy regarded the cat creature with a pensive expression, "You know, I didn't think of asking Nino for help…"

Plagg gave him a flat look, "Seriously? You're gonna ask Mr. Statue for love advice?"

"I'm sure he'd be a better wingman than _you_ ," Adrien replied, crossing his arms defiantly.

The black cat kwami consumed his cheese in a single gulp before throwing his arms in the air helplessly, "Fine. Ask the DJ for help. You're gonna be begging me for advice in no time."

"I doubt that."

Nino breathed a sigh of relief as he shut the door of his room, effectively blocking the noise of the televised game. Since his family was completely engrossed in the TV, he was looking forward to having the next few hours to himself.

A cheer went up from the living room, and he chuckled to himself as he dropped his cap on the end of his bed and flopped down in his seat.

Nino spun around in his chair to face his keyboard, fingers poised over the keys as he opened up the synthesizer on his computer. A few minutes later, he had a basic drum beat going and was beginning to craft the melody.

He bobbed his head along to the rhythm that coursed through his headphones as he pieced together his latest song. A thud jarred him out of his element, and Nino's violent flinch threw his chair off balance.

The DJ crashed to the floor and a pair of concerned catlike eyes peered down at him from above. Nino's eyebrows pulled together in frustration as his heart pounded in his chest.

"Dude! Would it kill ya to text me before you break into my house?" Nino demanded. Chat Noir gave Nino a sheepish grin and offered a gloved hand to help him up.

"Sorry, I was kinda preoccupied," the cat-themed superhero explained, hoisting the DJ to his feet.

"Well, you do look kinda distracted. What's up?" Nino asked, taking a seat on his bed in preparation for an Adrien Rant. They were rare occurrences since the blond boy had nerves of steel, but even he needed to vent sometimes.

Chat Noir began pacing around Nino's room, hands clasped behind his back.

"You gonna change back, or are you gonna stay like that?" Nino deadpanned.

The teenage superhero suddenly stopped and whirled around to face his best friend.

"Help me, Nino."

The DJ scratched his head, "Uh, yeah. Sure, I'll do my best." Chat Noir resumed moving, only to pause in the midst of his pacing once again. The tension in the cat boy's shoulders ebbed just enough for Nino to know he was comforted.

An odd silence filled the room, and Nino cleared his throat. "What do you need help with, dude?"

Green cat eyes locked onto him with a piercing gaze. "I need to tell Marinette how I feel about her, but I don't even know where to start!" he replied a bit hysterically.

The room fell silent save for the constant droning of the television that drifted in from the living room.

Nino busted out laughing, "And you came to _me_ for help? Bro, you're the one who gave _me_ lady advice last time, remember? You know more about that stuff than I do."

"I know, I know. But-" the cat boy began, trailing off as a look of horror crossed his face. His leather cat ears flattened against his head, and his tail stopped swaying about behind him.

"I helped you ask Marinette out," the blond choked out, gloved hands coming up to shield his face from Nino's view.

The DJ seemed unfazed by the superhero's discomfort, and flopped down on his bed rather casually.

"The past is the past. We both have some regrets there," Nino replied easily.

Chat Noir groaned and slumped down to the ground. He sat cross-legged on the floor, chin supported by his hands and a frown on his face. "I'm in so deep, Nino," he sighed.

"No kidding." Nino remarked. "Look, man. Just change back, and we can talk about how you're gonna ask her out."

The leather-clad superhero took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Yeah. I can do that," he murmured just before being engulfed in green light as his transformation dropped.

In the time it took Nino to blink, Plagg was lounged on his pillow with a lazy half-lidded expression. Adrien gazed at his best friend expectantly, and he shrugged in response.

"Knowing you, you're probably _way_ overthinking it. Do something chill, y'know? Like, invite her for a walk in the park and tell her about your huge crush while you're there. No sweat." Nino paused and nodded to himself, as if impressed by his own advice.

Adrien blinked, "Nino. You're a genius."

The boy laughed, "Nope, I'm just not as dumb as you."

The blonde smirked, "I'll remember you said that when you need help on your homework."

The cat kwami dropped his head on the pillow and kicked his legs out, "I'm boooooored."

Plagg yawned loudly as if he still needed to alert them of his disinterest in their conversation. When they gave no acknowledgement, he rolled over to face away from them. If his ears twitched in their direction every so often, neither boy mentioned it.

After a few false starts, Adrien managed to ask Marinette to go for a walk the park with him after school. She said yes immediately, which made him question whether she realized it was supposed to be a date.

It bothered him a little, but he decided to overlook it in favor of worrying about more pressing matters. Matters like how to tell her about his overwhelming feelings.

All too soon, they were being dismissed from class and he could hear Marinette packing up her things behind him. The blond jolted as he realized that he should probably follow her example so as to not hold her up any longer than necessary.

He hastily stuffed his books into his bag and jumped to his feet, schooling himself into a relaxed pose as he leaned on Marinette's table. He moved a bit too quickly to look truly relaxed though, and she smiled as if holding back a laugh.

"Ready to go?" he asked, practically vibrating in place as she closed her backpack. "Yep!" she replied as she stood up.

He began walking toward the door and Marinette looped her arm through his, settling her hand in the crook of his elbow. Adrien's eyes widened in surprise as he turned to meet her gaze, and she offered him a shy smile as she tightened her grip.

He grinned and led the way toward the park, emboldened by the warmth of her hand on his arm.

As the teenagers walked through the park, a light breeze rustled through the leaves of the trees and softened the heat of the sun. The sounds of children playing blended with the lilting notes of a distant street musician's melody.

Adrien listened intently while Marinette told a funny story about her dad's mishap with their new blender and the ensuing mess of pureed vegetables that ended up splattered all over the walls.

"There was even some on the ceiling!" she exclaimed. Her giggles rang through the air, and Adrien noted that she looked even more beautiful when she laughed. He didn't have much time to admire her, though, since it seemed that her laugh was as contagious as it was lovely.

Marinette was laughing so hard that she almost ran straight into a large bald man in a tropical printed shirt. Adrien managed to pull her out of the way in time to save them both from the impact, but the man was so startled that his ice cream slipped off of his cone. It hit the pavement with a resounding splat.

The pig-tailed girl looked mortified and apologized profusely, but the man assured her in broken French that it was no problem. She offered him a few euros to buy a new ice cream cone, which he accepted after a few minutes of being pressured by a resolute Marinette.

The teens continued their walk, and Adrien allowed Marinette to carry the conversation. After all, her life was vastly more interesting than his was. She told him how her Uncle was doing, and asked Adrien for an impromptu lesson in Mandarin.

He taught her a few useful phrases that she didn't already know, and she picked them up rather quickly. Marinette noticed an ice cream stand and gazed at it longingly before she continued walking. Adrien quickly grabbed her hand to stop her, and smiled kindly when she gazed back at him with wide eyes and flushed cheeks.

"Can I buy you some ice cream?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah. You can ice cream buy! B-Buy me. Ice cream," she brought her free hand up to smack her forehead. He chuckled and led her to the stand.

Adrien greeted the salesman and began placing his order, "Can I get two cones, please? Chocolate for me, and strawberry for the lovely lady."

Adrien turned to Marinette with a playful grin that belonged on Chat Noir's face.

"Your favorite _is_ strawberry, right?" he asked, feigning innocence. Marinette snorted, "Yeah. You asked Alya, didn't you?"

The salesman handed Adrien both of the ice cream cones after accepting payment for them.

"I guess you've caught me _red_ -handed," he remarked, presenting the strawberry cone to the girl.

Marinette grabbed it and tilted her head to the side, "That was pretty weak. The ice cream is pink, not red." Adrien shrugged, "The strawberries are red. You can't win them all."

The dark-haired girl giggled and dipped her finger in the ice cream before smearing it on his nose. Adrien scrunched his face up and scrubbed at it, "Now I'm all sticky."

"Serves you right for that awful pun," Marinette replied, easily skipping out of reach when he attempted to wipe his fingers on her arm.

They began walking along the path again, licking their ice creams in companionable silence. Adrien gulped as he glanced down at her free hand as it swung by her side.

Sure, he'd grabbed it earlier and she hadn't complained, but would she allow it in a different context? He took a deep breath and reached out, brushing his fingertips against her palm as he tentatively slotted his fingers into hers.

She stiffened, and he braced himself for rejection as he awaited her reaction. Her face flushed bright red, and he tensed as he prepared for the worst.

Against all odds, her fingers tightened around his as she squeezed his hand and remained staring forward as they walked. Her shoulders were still stiff, and her face was still red, but she made no move to pull away from him. Adrien felt like his heart would fly out of his chest.

As they wandered through the park, Marinette's face slowly returned to its normal color despite a lingering pinkness in her cheeks.

Adrien took another deep breath as he mustered his courage. His grip tightened on both the ice cream cone and her hand as he coaxed them to a stop. She turned to him with a curious look on her face.

"M-Marinette? I brought you here because I have something I wanted to tell you," he began, meeting her eyes with a serious air about him. Her eyebrows pulled together as she stared back, her blue eyes filled with concern and wonder.

"You can tell me anything, Adrien," she affirmed, squeezing his hand encouragingly.

He smiled at her and stepped closer. "Marinette, I lo-"

A bright flash of light interrupted their moment, and in an inexplicable turn of events, their ice cream cones disappeared from their hands.

A deep voice reverberated through the park in halting French, "IF I CAN'T HAVE ICE CREAM, NO ONE CAN!"

Both teenagers spun to face a brightly outfitted person who was undoubtedly the man who dropped his ice cream earlier. He held a gun that was shaped like a waffle cone, and proceeded to zap every person in sight.

Those who didn't have an ice cream cone miraculously received one, which disappeared right as they attempted to take a bite.

Marinette gave Adrien an exasperated look, "Looks like we'll have to postpone this conversation until later."

Adrien did his best to hide his disappointment and forced a smirk, "Don't you mean, cone-versation?"

The girl groaned and used their linked hands to pull him behind a large shrub before calling on her transformation and rushing out to fight the akumatized man.

Plagg flew out of his shirt cackling madly, "You almost get it out, and then the worst villain _ever_ shows up to ruin everything!"

The cat kwami lurched unsteadily as his loud guffaws disrupted his ability to fly, and the blond boy crossed his arms over his chest. Plagg's mocking laughter showed no signs of slowing down.

Adrien sighed and lifted up his fist, "Plagg, claws out."

Chat Noir skidded around the bush and took his place beside Ladybug, who was staring down the akumatized man with her trademark determined glare.

"Fancy seeing you here, My Lady," he purred, throwing in a flirtatious wink that went ignored as usual.

"It's been a while, Kitty," she drawled, a laugh in her voice. Chat Noir's grin grew wider as he prepared to throw out a smooth pick-up line.

The akumatized man didn't seem to take kindly to being ignored, as he immediately began to yell.

"I am Captain Frosty, and you will give me your Miraculous!" the man shouted, aiming the waffle gun at Ladybug. The superheroes simply blinked in response.

Chat Noir snorted, planting the end of his baton in the dirt and leaning on the top of it. "Frosty? Like the Snowman?" he quipped.

The man faltered, "Not the… It's different!"

The cat themed superhero snickered, "Guess we better get this over with quickly, before you melt away!"

"It's _different_!" The man shouted, shooting his waffle gun at Chat Noir. Instead of making ice cream disappear, it shot out a continuous stream of it that Chat Noir narrowly managed to avoid.

The bystander a few feet behind him wasn't as lucky, and ended up stuck in place as the soft substance solidified.

Ladybug gave her partner a decisive look, "That was a close call! Don't get hit!"

Chat Noir gave her a sly grin as he evaded another blast, "Yeah, that'd be a sticky situation!"

She smiled and rolled her eyes as she used his distraction to summon Lucky Charm. Her actions drew Captain Frosty's eyes to her, and the cat boy scrambled to draw his attention yet again.

"Hey Frosty, no need to give me the _cold_ shoulder!" he shouted, but the man persisted to shoot at Ladybug. The cat boy gave him a solid whack on the shoulder with his baton, and successfully angered the man enough to divert his concentration from Ladybug.

It only took a few seconds for Ladybug's Lucky Charm to work its magic, and the ice cream villain was trapped within his own sticky prison. Ladybug plucked the cone gun from his hand and broke it over her knee, allowing the black butterfly to flutter out of it.

She quickly restored the city to order, and their fists met in their traditional victory cry. A beat of silence passed as they stared into the other's eyes, but eventually the flash of a camera jarred them back into action. Ladybug smiled conspiratorially and made a show of swinging off in a random direction.

Chat Noir waved at the starstruck teenager who took the photo, posing long enough for him to snag another before vaulting away in the opposite direction Ladybug had gone.

After feeding Plagg, Adrien rushed back to the park, where he almost slammed right into a winded Marinette. She let out a weak giggle, the breathlessness from running ruining it.

They both paused in the middle of the walkway as they caught their breath. After a while, Marinette turned to the blond boy with a sweet smile.

"You said you had something to tell me?" she prompted, clasping her hands and leaning forward with interest. Adrien's cheeks took on a pink tinge as he forced himself to meet her eyes, "Y-Yeah. I, uh, actually wanted to tell you that-"

Marinette's ringtone interrupted his sentence, and the girl's eyes darted between him and her pocket, before she frowned.

"Sorry! My parents will get angry if I don't answer them," she explained, looking rather guilty.

Adrien shook his head, "It's fine! Your parents come first."

"Hello?"

She answered the phone and listened to the muffled voice on the other line while she reached out with her free hand to grasp Adrien's. She gave his fingers a gentle squeeze, as if to reassure him that he was important too.

He could feel the beginnings of a goofy grin forming on his face, when Marinette's smile suddenly morphed into a pout.

The pig-tailed girl whined into the phone, "But _Papa,_ I was in the middle of-"

She paused, her bluebell eyes closing as she sighed, "Okay, I'll head back soon. I love you too, bye."

Marinette gazed into Adrien's eyes wistfully, "Sorry, I have to get home."

Adrien chuckled and glanced down at their joined hands, "It's okay. I can tell you later."

That night, Nino received yet another surprise visit from Chat Noir. He managed to stay in his chair that time, though Adrien insisted it didn't count if the chair toppled over _with_ him.

"It was a disaster, Nino. Ice cream akuma. He made ice cream _disappear_ ," Adrien lamented, dramatically flinging himself onto his best friend's bed.

Nino shook his head, "She let you hold her hand. That's a good sign, bro."

Adrien tilted his head from his face-down position just enough to glare at Nino.

"I didn't tell her how I feel about her. That's the whole reason I asked her to go with me," he muttered. The DJ observed the pouting boy from his place at the head of the bed.

Nino crossed his arms, "Well, only one thing left to do, dude."

Adrien lifted his head, curiosity shining in his green eyes. "What?"

The DJ smirked and rubbed his hands together, "We bring out the big guns."

The blond's eyes widened, and he shot upright.

"You don't mean…?"

"Oh yes." Nino confirmed, nodding with satisfaction at his new idea. It was a brilliant one, of course.

If anyone could help Adrien confess to Marinette, it was Alya Césaire.


	28. Trials II

**Real life has been crazy, and my wifi has been down for a week and a half. *throws 3,000 word chapter at readers* Enjoy!**

 **Question for those of you who have bought Miraculous merchandise:**

 **Would you say that the Chat Noir doll that comes by himself is better quality than the Chat Noir that is packaged in a 2-pack with Ladybug? Their outfits look like they're made of different materials, and I'm curious if one is better than the other. My brother wants him, and he's kind of rough on his toys. Feel free to answer in a review or in a private message!**

* * *

 **Trials II**

"Well, well, well… What do we have here?" Alya drawled as she steepled her fingers and peered at her friends over her glasses. Nino looked particularly unamused as he scrambled down from his place on Chat Noir's back.

Before Alya even had time to tease the DJ, the cat-themed superhero immediately fixed her with the most powerful set of kitten eyes she'd ever seen.

Alya frowned, "What do you want, Agreste?"

Chat Noir put on Adrien's signature charming smile and cocked his head to the side in an admittedly cute fashion, his cat ears flattening on his head to portray the picture of innocence.

"I need a huge favor," he replied.

"He needs your matchmaking expertise," Nino explained before flopping down on her floor and making himself comfortable amongst the discarded decorative pillows there. Alya raised an eyebrow at the model, "Is this real life?"

The cat boy nodded his head enthusiastically, and detransformed in a flash of green light. "Okay, I wanted to tell Marinette how I feel about her today so I asked her to go to the park with me. I don't think she knew it was supposed to be a date, and then I made the worst pun known to man. I mean, she let me hold her hand later, but maybe it was just supposed to be platonic and I'm reading way to much into it?"

The blogger muffled her laughter at the idea of Marinette's reaction to Adrien holding her hand. _Marinette_ seeing holding hands with Adrien as _platonic_? Absurd. Alya gave Nino a pointed look, and the DJ shrugged helplessly.

The blond boy's emerald green eyes nearly sparkled as he sighed dreamily, "But I'm _really_ enjoying reading too much into it."

The blogger tapped her chin thoughtfully, "If it went so well, why didn't you tell her?"

"Pffft!"

Plagg chose that moment to make his presence known, his nearly maniacal laughter startling the teenagers. The cat kwami wiped at his eyes as he tried to calm himself, "Ice cream akuma. He called himself _Captain_ _Frosty_! Bwahahaha!"

Alya snapped her fingers, "Oh yeah! I heard about him. You know, sometimes I forget that you guys have to drop whatever you're doing to fight evil."

Adrien snickered, "For someone obsessed with frozen dessert, he wasn't very _cool_." Nino scowled and nudged Adrien with his foot, " _You_ aren't very cool, bro."

Alya waved her hand dismissively, "All jokes aside, you asked her to go to the park? We hang out there all the time, so of course she wasn't sure it was a date."

Nino glared at the girl, "Hey! The park is a great place for a relaxed date."

Alya rolled her eyes, "Maybe if you're already _together_!"

The blogger turned her attention to Adrien, grabbing his wrist and pulling him over to have a seat next to her on the edge of her bed. "Sunshine, listen to me. If you want Marinette to know you're asking her on a date, you've gotta take her to a nice restaurant. It's a classic date thing, and there can be no misunderstanding there. Go big or go home!"

His eyes lit up as her advice soaked in, "Yeah, you're right."

"How's he gonna tell her in an uptight place like that?" Nino remarked, crossing his arms and glaring at the blogger. The girl simply rolled her eyes, "If it's a nice enough restaurant, the tables will be arranged so that it feels very private."

Plagg and Nino simultaneously rolled their eyes, while Adrien considered her advice. "I think that's a great idea, Alya. Besides, who knows Marinette better than you?" Adrien reasoned.

"Exactly," Alya exclaimed, sticking her tongue out at Nino. Plagg curled up on a pillow and muttered something that they could have sworn included the word "failure".

Adrien's eyes danced with unconcealed excitement as his mind drifted to the romantic candlelit dinner of his dreams, "A tasteful flower arrangement and dinner by candlelight…obviously, a string quartet for some ambiance…"

Alya and Nino blinked at him in unison, their expressions carefully blank. Alya shot Nino a look that clearly meant _he_ was the one who had to deal with the problem.

The DJ cleared his throat and tugged on the edge of his t-shirt awkwardly, "Uh, that's really nice and all, but don't you think it's a _little_ … well…"

Alya rolled her eyes at his less than eloquent explanation, and turned to Adrien with a sympathetic look. "It's a _really_ sweet idea, and you're adorable."

Adrien narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "But?"

Nino watched Alya struggle for words with obvious interest. Her expression settled into one of remorse, as she seemed to have decided to put it bluntly.

"But it's kinda corny. Sorry, Adrien. Save stuff like that for anniversaries or something," she explained, hands up in a placating gesture.

"Oh. Sorry, I guess it was a little over the top," he replied, flushing bright red.

"No problem. That's what I'm here for!" Alya replied, with a casual wave of her hand.

Adrien frowned, "There _is_ a problem, though. I don't know that any of the nicer restaurants would have reservations open on such short notice."

Alya grinned mischievously, "Don't worry about _anything_ , Agreste. I have connections, and I know exactly what Marinette would want. Consider me your official date-planner!"

…

"Marinette has been ready for an hour, and she headed to the restaurant early to wait for you. You're _not_ going to be late on my watch," Alya warned.

Adrien gulped as Alya straightened his tie and brushed invisible dust off of the shoulders of his impeccable suit jacket. Adrien's back was ramrod straight, and there was enough tension in his jaw that the muscles in his neck were taut.

"Dude, _breathe_." Nino reminded him from a few paces behind Alya.

The model took a deep breath and attempted to get his heart rate under control. He wasn't very successful, but at least he wasn't unintentionally holding his breath anymore.

"I'm so nervous. What if this is all too formal? Or not formal enough?" Adrien murmured as he fidgeted with the ends of his sleeves. Alya scoffed, "Please. People have been confessing their love in restaurants for ages. It's tried and true."

Nino made a face behind her back that expressed his displeasure with the blogger's idea but gave Adrien a thumbs-up anyhow.

The model gave them both an uneasy smile and scuffed the bottom of his shoe against the pavement, "If you say so."

"I _know_ so. Now get in there and be charming," Alya commanded, whirling him around to face the door and giving him a forceful shove.

He robotically ascended the stairs to the entrance, but paused with his hand on the knob.

"Plagg, I can't do this," he whispered urgently.

"I suppose you want encouragement," the cat kwami's lazy voice drifted up from Adrien's pocket.

The blonde didn't answer, too nervous to respond. A tired sigh sounded before Plagg's bright green eyes peeked up at him from the inside of his jacket.

"You're Chat Noir, kid. When you get nervous, remember that." With that small tidbit of advice, the tiny cat creature ducked back into his pocket and disappeared.

Adrien took another breath. "I'm Chat Noir. I've got this," he murmured to himself, allowing his shoulders to relax before he stepped through the door. He was immediately greeted by Marinette's beautiful smile, and he felt the rest of the tension melt away immediately.

There was something about being in his partner's presence that put him at ease. She was wearing a classy blush pink dress that ended just above her knees. It was perfectly tailored in a way only a designer could achieve, and her dark hair was loose and curled.

An involuntary smile stretched across his face, and he knew he needed to let her know just how lovely she looked. She deserved nothing less than an eloquent and gentlemanly compliment, of course. However, it was hard to think when he was smiling at him like that.

"Marinette, you look _purr_ fect," he blurted, eyes widening as he realized what he'd done.

She rolled her eyes at the pun, and he scrambled to correct his mistake.

"That was an accident, I swear! I-I meant to say you look beautiful," he stammered awkwardly.

Her smile widened and she gestured to his jacket, "Thanks, you look beautiful too." She clapped a hand over her mouth as her eyes widened comically. Adrien wasn't sure what to do with this new information, so he stood frozen as Marinette gathered her wits.

The young designer cleared her throat, but daren't remove her hand from its place over her mouth; her voice was muffled when she spoke once again, "You look _handsome_."

She nodded her head as if to confirm that her correction was suitable. Adrien grinned mischievously and leaned a bit closer to her, "You think I'm _beautiful_." Marinette rolled her eyes, "Well, that's not exactly news. You're a _supermodel_."

The mischief in his grin dissolved immediately, giving way to a much more vulnerable smile, "It means more coming from you, Princess."

The hand that Marinette had clamped over her mouth moved to hover in between them, and she gazed into his eyes searchingly. Just as she seemed to have made a decision on how to proceed, the moment was interrupted.

"Right this way, Mr. Agreste," the man at the front desk called, gesturing to the left where a server waited to lead them to their table.

Adrien reluctantly pulled his eyes away from Marinette to acknowledge the man's instructions. She took his arm as the waiter led them past tables of people, and Adrien was able to properly admire the romantic atmosphere inside the restaurant. The lighting was dim but not dingy, and the tables were arranged to give the illusion of privacy despite the volume of people inside.

The server seated them at a table near a large window that overlooked the river, and Marinette gasped as she looked around. She turned her attention to the menu soon after Adrien ordered waters for them both. As soon as the waiter left, she turned to Adrien with an uneasy expression.

"There aren't prices on this menu," she whispered. He chuckled sheepishly, "Oh don't worry about that, Marinette."

She blushed and fiddled with the edges of the menu, "W-Well, I kind of need to know prices so I'll know what I can afford." Adrien's eyes widened, "No, no! I've got the bill." She still looked uncertain, and he decided to draw on his Chat Noir persona a little more.

"A gentleman _never_ leaves his lady with the check," he remarked with a wink. Marinette snorted, "Why did I _ever_ think Adrien Agreste was dignified?" Adrien shifted into an elegant pose and smirked flirtatiously, "I don't know what you're talking about. I am the _picture_ of _model_ behavior."

Marinette's blue eyes flashed with amusement as she giggled, "Those puns were awful!"

"Excuse me, are you both ready to order?" the server asked, having returned while they weren't paying attention. They both jolted to attention and Adrien offered the man a charming smile and made small talk while Marinette scrambled to look at the menu.

Adrien ordered the first thing he recognized, and then glanced at Marinette searchingly. She quickly pointed to something, and the server rushed off after a polite exchange.

They lapsed into a charged silence, which seemed to somehow drown out the low hum of conversation that filled the restaurant.

Marinette worried her lip while Adrien fretted over how to confess his love to the girl who sat across the table from him.

"I was wondering if-"

"I wanted to say-"

The teens blinked at each other before shouting in unison, "You first!"

Someone in the distance shushed them, and the teens colored in embarrassment.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh, what I have to say can wait. You go ahead, Mari."

Her blush darkened, and she began twirling her hair around her finger as she avoided eye contact with him.

"Well, I was just thinking. I mean, with the low lighting and dramatic view… N-Not to mention the fancy menu, and all…" she trailed off, fingers clenching around the strand of hair she was playing with. Adrien nodded his encouragement, and she let loose a breathy laugh.

"I mean, doesn't it seem a little like a date?" she blurted, eyes glued to a painting on the wall behind Adrien's head.

Adrien's stomach did a panicky flip, and he forced a smile that may have been a bit too wide. "Oh. Oh! W-Well, it is a romantic looking restaurant. It doesn't have to be! Romantic, I mean! My father has business lunches in places like this. Not that this isn't a good place for a date! I mean, the ambiance is great, don't you think? I think-"

He cut himself off, realizing that his word vomit was only digging him into a deeper hole. Adrien glanced away from Marinette's stunned face, and his eyes landed on a couple seated at a table on the indoor balcony that overlooked the first floor seating.

The couple looked suspiciously like Alya and Nino. The young lady slapped a hand to her forehead, and Adrien blushed as he realized that his best friends had been witnesses to his monumental failure of a date.

Nino gestured in Adrien's direction, and Alya made eye contact before making a calming gesture with her hands. She whipped out her phone and held it to her ear while Nino gave Adrien a thumbs-up.

"What are you looking at?" Marinette interjected, and Adrien jumped at her voice.

"Nothing!" he yelped, meeting her eyes again. She seemed unconvinced, but dropped the topic when the waiter returned with a covered dish. It was much too soon for their food to be done, so Adrien was rather confused.

"The chef insists that you both try the new appetizer sampler. On the house, of course." The waiter explained, placing the food on the table before turning on his heel and retreating to the kitchen.

Marinette's eyes lit up as she gazed upon the lovely appetizer spread. "Wow! It's so pretty. I almost feel guilty for eating it!" she exclaimed with a laugh.

"I know, right?" Adrien chuckled along with her.

Marinette straightened up, a very _Ladybug_ look of determination on her face. The blond's heart thudded unsteadily, and stared at her with an unabashed lovesick expression on his face.

"Well, this food isn't going to eat itself!" she announced and whipped out her fork, quickly spearing a piece of shrimp and popping it into her mouth.

"Mmm! It tastes as good as it looks!" she exclaimed, bringing the fork down on another shrimp. Adrien tore his eyes away from her long enough to fumble for his fork.

When he finally managed to get the food into his mouth, he could see what all the fuss was about. Everything on the plate was simply divine.

While the dark-haired girl dug into the appetizer plate, Adrien shot a grateful look in Alya's direction. The blogger nodded and motioned for him to get on with it.

The boy took a deep breath and reminded himself that he was Chat Noir once again.

"Marinette?" he murmured, hoping to drag her attention away from the food long enough to say what he wanted to say.

"Hm?" she replied, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin.

"I actually brought you here because I wanted to tell you something," Adrien began, watching with wonder as her bluebell eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"Is it the same something you were trying to tell me at the park?" she asked, astute as always.

He chuckled, "Yes, that exactly what I'm talking about."

Marinette made a show of putting her fork down and sitting up straight, wordlessly assuring him that he had her undivided attention.

"Marinette, you and I haven't known each other for a very long time, but you know me better than anyone else in the world," Adrien stated, radiating the truth of his statement with every fiber of his being.

The dark haired girl gave a soft smile in response to the earnest expression on his face, "I know the feeling."

Adrien smiled brightly, reaching across the table to rest his hand over hers, "There's something I've wanted to tell you, ever since the very beginning."

She twisted her hand so that she could thread her fingers through his, and his heart gave a pleasant little lurch.

"You can tell me anything," she reiterated, that determined look making a brief reappearance.

He gave her hand a little squeeze, "Marinette, I've been in lo-"

A covered dish descended onto the table and interfered with Adrien's view of Marinette's eyes. He blinked owlishly as another dish found its home directly in front of him.

"Don't mind me, I'll be on my way shortly," the waiter announced. He uncovered the plates and walked away with the covers in hand. Marinette looked vaguely annoyed, and Adrien felt like crawling under a rock.

There was an ambiguous sound from the balcony that resembled muffled screams of frustration.

"You were saying?" Marinette prompted, giving Adrien a look that told him she was still supportive of him despite the interruption. Unfortunately, he'd lost his nerve somewhere along the way, and found himself unable to spit the words out.

"Um. Uh. Ah! I-I…" Adrien stammered, willing himself to come out with it already. Suddenly, Alya's presence seemed stifling and the murmur of voices was too loud and the romantic setting made him even more nervous.

"I can't do it!" he exclaimed, pulling his hand from her grasp so that he could hide his flushed face.

Marinette stood up rather abruptly, pulling her chair over next to his with a loud scraping. She gently pulled his hands away from his face and placed eating utensils in them.

"Let's eat and get out of here," she suggested. Her encouraging smile was all he needed to calm his nerves. They both began eating, side-by-side rather than across the table from each other.

On the walk to Marinette's house, Adrien offered her a sad smile, "I'm sorry. I really wanted to tell you tonight."

Marinette grinned and playfully bumped his arm with her elbow, "And I really wanted to hear it! Whatever it is, I'm ready to listen whenever you're ready to tell me."

She stopped at the door of her house, and turned to face him. Adrien grinned, feeling some of his Chat Noir confidence reappearing, "I won't make My Lady wait too long."

Marinette giggled and fixed him with a breathtaking smile, "I'll hold you to that."

She reached out and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before disappearing behind the door. Adrien didn't know how they had progressed to such casual handholding, but he was definitely not going to complain.

A frustrated sigh emanated from his pocket, and Plagg peeked out with obvious annoyance. "I'd say I was surprised you managed to mess that up, but I'm not," the kwami drawled.

Adrien narrowed his eyes at the cat creature, "Just go ahead and rub in it, Plagg."

The kwami snickered, "Oh, I _will_."

…

Alya paced around Adrien's room, she gesticulated wildly as she ranted about the incompetence of the waiter. Plagg lounged in the waste bin with a wedge of cheese, ignoring the teenagers in favor of savoring his food.

Nino seemed to be trying to school his expression into a neutral one, but he still looked decidedly smug.

Adrien frowned up at her from his place seated on the bed, "Don't blame him, Alya. He was just doing his job."

Alya huffed and rolled her eyes, "Yeah, doing it _wrong_."

Adrien opened his mouth to argue some more, but Nino gave him a meaningful look. _Quit while you're ahead, dude._

Nino shrugged and leaned back in Adrien's desk chair, "I blame the setting. You two can't really be yourselves around all those people."

Alya whirled to face the DJ, and Adrien wondered if Nino was immune to his own advice.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded, hands on her hips as she stared him down.

Nino seemed unfazed by her anger, and gave her a nonchalant wave. "I mean, they can't really act like Ladybug and Chat Noir with all those people around. Normal Adrien is a ball of nerves. Ya can't expect the dude to be smooth if he can't act like his superhero self."

The blond stared at his best friend for a few seconds before hanging his head in shame. "I don't know guys. I think I'm just too awkward at all this romance stuff. Even- Even as Chat Noir, I don't really know what I'm doing," he murmured, looking for all the world like a kicked puppy.

Alya and Nino looked quite alarmed by Adrien's admission of insecurity.

The blogger raised her hands in distress, "What? No!"

Nino dashed over to sit next to the blond, slinging an affectionate arm over his shoulder. "No way, dude! You're, like, the romance expert!"

Alya nodded enthusiastically, "Seriously, Chat Noir is the _definition_ of smooth."

Adrien pouted, "Yeah, Chat Noir. Not Adrien."

A muffled snort emanated from the trashcan. The blogger rolled her eyes, and Nino gave his best friend's shoulders a squeeze.

"That's _you_ , man. We just gotta get you past whatever's holding you back. After that, you can lay on the charm. Marinette won't know what hit her!" Nino turned to Alya for backup.

She adjusted her glasses, and a rather frightening smirk appeared on her face, "I think this problem calls for someone even wiser than me."

Nino turned to her, an alarmed expression on his face. "You mean-?"

Adrien's eyes brightened with understanding, "I think I know where you're going with this."

Plagg zipped into sight, a lazy grin on his face. "Geez, I thought you'd never ask."

The three teens gave the kwami a flat look, and Alya swatted at him with her hand. The cat kwami phased through it, looking rather unperturbed for someone Alya had taken a swing at.

"Not you! You'd probably tell him to get her cheese or something," the blogger accused, waving a finger in the cat creature's face.

"You're not mature enough to appreciate my refined tastes," Plagg replied with a haughty grin.

Alya huffed and turned back to Adrien, "We're going to the only one who knows Marinette better than I do."

Plagg groaned and plopped down into the trashcan once more, "This is going to be even worse than the ice cream akuma."

The boys grinned, "Let's do it."


	29. Trials III

**Hello everyone! I know I usually respond to every review, but my internet is still down, and it's difficult for me to send messages on the phone app.**

 **This chapter was very fun for me to write. The closing line is one of my favorites so far!**

 **Trials III**

As the trio approached the door to Marinette's house, Adrien began having second thoughts about their latest scheme. A loud crash emanated from the other side of the door, and Marinette's annoyed voice rang out loud and clear from the other side.

"Manon, if you don't put that back, I'll put you in time out!"

Adrien turned to Alya with an anxious expression. "She doesn't sound like she's in a good mood," he whispered, fully prepared to retreat back down the stairs. Alya and Nino clamped onto either of his arms, preventing escape.

"She's babysitting. _Nobody's_ in a good mood when they're babysitting," Alya explained with a dismissive wave of her hand. Nino promptly rang the doorbell, sealing their fate.

After a few more thuds and screeches, a haggard looking Marinette appeared in the doorway. Her left pigtail was nearly falling out, and the hem of her shirt was askew. Her blue eyes widened as they landed on Adrien, and she shot Alya an exasperated look.

"I came to help you with that little angel," Alya announced as she let herself into the living room. She squeezed by Marinette and made herself at home. "Those two decided to tag along because they didn't want to be lonely," she added, as if it was an afterthought.

"I appreciate it, but Manon's only going to be here for thirty more minutes," Marinette explained just before a crash came from the kitchen. The girl's eyes widened, and she rushed off in that direction.

"You guys can wait in my room!" Marinette called over her shoulder before disappearing around the corner.

"Told ya it would work," Alya remarked. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and a smug look adorned her face.

Nino sighed, "Well, let's get going."

In a matter of a few minutes, they were all seated rather comfortably as they faced the one they came to see.

"To avoid another round of Adrien's word vomit: the last two attempts were disasters. You see why we need your expertise," Alya explained, hands clasped together as she bowed in respect.

"Oh, I wouldn't say I'm an _expert,_ " a feminine voice drawled.

Plagg shot out of Adrien's shirt with an indignant scoff, "Oh please, you're _always_ playing matchmaker. Why don't you just admit that you think you're cupid incarnate?"

"Plagg. Always a pleasure," Tikki replied sweetly before turning to Adrien with a kind smile.

"My advice is to be yourself, Adrien."

The blond shifted uncomfortably, "But _myself_ is awkward and inarticulate."

Tikki giggled and shook her head, "Your _true_ self. You're Adrien Agreste and you're Chat Noir, but most importantly: you're _you_."

He blinked, his mind swimming with half formed questions.

Tikki's deep blue eyes stared back at him, and he could see centuries of wisdom dancing in their depths. "What do _you_ want to do?"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before turning to Tikki with a shy smile.

"Something really romantic," he murmured, a slight blush coloring his cheeks.

The ladybug kwami's smile grew, "That sounds great! What kind of location were you thinking of?"

Adrien's eyes filled with warmth as he glanced out the window as a flock of pigeons flew by, "Maybe a rooftop near the Eiffel Tower."

"But that's so cliché!" Alya chimed in. Nino nodded his agreement, and the blond boy frowned.

Tikki placed a tiny hand on Adrien's cheek to get his attention, "Tell me _why_ you chose the Eiffel Tower."

"Because…that's where I first fell in love with Ladybug, and I've been falling ever since," he murmured, staring out the window once again.

"Aww," Alya and Nino chorused, causing Adrien's blush to deepen.

"You're such a sweetheart," Tikki cooed, clapping her little hands together with glee.

"You mean a sap," Plagg muttered darkly. The black cat kwami ignored the round of incensed glares.

"Since you decided on the Eiffel Tower, I think it would be best if you planned to go there as Chat Noir. Ooh, you could put together a moonlit picnic!" Tikki exclaimed twirling in midair while her eyes sparkled with excitement.

Nino dragged a hand across his face, "That's _really_ over the top, though."

Tikki turned to the DJ with a smile that could only be described as smug, "Have you ever known Chat Noir to be _anything_ _but_ over the top? I think it suits him perfectly."

The kwami returned her attention to Adrien, "Tell me more!"

Adrien furrowed his brow in thought. "I've always wanted to put together a candlelit dinner with flowers and soft music," he explained, giving Tikki a hopeful look.

"That sounds lovely. My suggestion would be to have battery powered candles and the flowers in heavy containers to combat the wind," the ladybug kwami suggested. Adrien was nearly vibrating with excitement at the prospect of such a grand gesture, and Alya sighed in resignation.

"You can use a Bluetooth speaker for the music," the blogger suggested, unable to resist the temptation to help the plan succeed, no matter how far-fetched it was.

"I'll put together the playlist," Nino offered, already getting excited about the prospect of using the power of music to make his best friend's dreams come true.

"And I'll make sure Marinette gets there," Tikki exclaimed with a giggle.

The teens launched into plans for a date and time, while Plagg gave the ladybug kwami an annoyed glare.

When Marinette got home from school on Friday, she was more than ready to settle into bed for a binge-watching session with Tikki. They still had six more seasons to go before they were caught up on the show, and the episodes weren't going to watch themselves.

She flopped down on the bed and burrowed into the covers as Tikki opened up the laptop. After pulling the show up, the kwami settled into the folds of the blanket next to Marinette's head while the title sequence played.

Six episodes in, Tikki sat up at attention. "Marinette, maybe we should transform and do a quick patrol," she suggested.

Marinette frowned; her disappointment was rather apparent, "What? It's binge day!"

She glanced at the clock and giggled, "Well, binge _night_."

Tikki nodded, "I know, but it doesn't have to be a long one. Just to the Eiffel Tower and back."

"Is something wrong, Tikki?" the pigtailed girl asked, concern etched into her features.

The kwami shrugged, "I don't think so. I just have a feeling you should check it out."

Marinette groaned and buried her face in the blanket, "I guess I could use the exercise." With that, she extricated herself from the warm covers and closed her laptop. "Tikki, spots on!"

As Ladybug swung through the buildings of Paris, she wondered what exactly was going on with Tikki. It wasn't as if the kwami was never spontaneous, but this seemed a bit out of character for her.

The Eiffel Tower came into view, and it was immediately evident that there was nothing different about it. She alighted on a roof near the tower to stretch her arms, and was a bit surprised to see Chat Noir appear on the rooftop across the street.

"Fancy seeing you here, My Lady," he quipped, leaning on his baton as he flashed her a playful smile.

She quickly swung across the street and landed next to him, an inquisitive look on her face. "What are you doing here, Chat?" she asked, noting that there was something different in his stance. His usual charisma was there, but something else was brimming beneath the surface.

"There's only one thing more beautiful than Paris at night," he replied, gazing out at the skyline. The spotted superheroine laughed softly, "What could _possibly_ be more beautiful than Paris at night?"

His grin stretched even wider as he leaned closer to her, cupping a hand around his mouth as if sharing a secret. "That would be you," he stage-whispered.

Ladybug felt a blush fighting its way to the surface as she gazed into his catlike green eyes; the same eyes as Adrien's and yet so different. Her breath caught in her throat as his clawed fingers slipped in between hers. Chat Noir gave her hand a soft tug, and she followed along beside him as he approached the other side of the rooftop.

"I want to show you something," he explained, voice full of excitement for some unknown reason. She didn't have to wonder for long, since the roof they were standing on was the perfect vantage point to the candlelit balcony below.

Two wrought-iron chairs sat beside each other facing the lights of the Eiffel Tower. The table was set up with two covered dishes and a floral arrangement in the center, and a small Bluetooth speaker played a soft violin melody.

She gasped as her eyes roved over the obviously romantic set-up and landed on her partner's hopeful expression. There was no way this could be construed as a friendly get-together, or so she hoped.

"Do you like it?" he asked, a shy smile on his lips that didn't seem like it belonged there.

"It's amazing! You did all this for me?" Ladybug asked, her blue eyes drifting between him and the candlelit dinner.

He fixed her with an intense look; "I'd do anything for you, Bugaboo."

The superheroine could feel her heart pounding in her chest at being on the receiving end of such an sincere statement, and took a deep breath to steady herself before swinging over to the balcony.

He landed beside her with a soft thud, and pulled out the chair while motioning for her to sit down. She accepted his invitation, and smiled as he plopped down into the seat beside her.

When he pulled the metal covers off of their plates, she was greeted by an absolutely beautiful meal that belonged in a five star restaurant.

"Courtesy of Chef Cesaíre," he explained with a sheepish laugh.

Ladybug gave a happy sigh and beamed at him, "Adrien, this is beautiful. Thank you."

He chuckled and nudged her with his elbow, "Who is this Adrien fellow? I'm Chat Noir."

The red suited girl laughed good-naturedly and picked up her fork, "Thank you, _Chat Noir_."

"It was my pleasure," he replied, mirroring her movements as she began to eat.

They finished their meal in companionable silence. The noises of the city blended with Nino's playlist to compliment the flickering candlelight and smell of flowers.

Ladybug sighed in contentment as her head came to rest on the blond boy's shoulder. After a few more minutes of watching the Parisian skyline, Chat Noir rested his cheek against her midnight hair. His leather tail made the occasional rustling noise as it flicked behind them.

The wind picked up, and he was grateful that Tikki had suggested the fake candles. Chat Noir took a cleansing breath.

"Ladybug, I'm finally going to tell you what I've been trying to say for the past few weeks," he stated with conviction.

She sat up and looked him in the eye, unconcealed curiosity in her gaze. "I'm listening, Kitty." His ears were flattened against his head, betraying his nervousness.

The wind whipped her dark hair around her face in an angelic halo, and he marveled at her beauty.

"The very first time we met, we were in these suits. You were nervous and I was reckless, and somehow we managed to save Paris together. When you faced off against Hawkmoth and you promised the whole city that we'd keep them safe…that's when I _knew_ ," he murmured, meeting her eyes with the most serious expression she'd ever seen.

"Knew what?" she whispered, afraid that her voice would shatter the delicate silence that stretched between them.

He took her hand and gave it a soft squeeze, "That's when I _knew_ -"

Lightning flashed as a crash of thunder shook the ground. Angry, dark clouds swirled in the sky as the wind threatened to carry off their tablecloth.

A fat raindrop splashed on the end of Ladybug's nose, and that was the only warning they received before a torrent of rain descended upon the picnic.

Chat Noir stiffened as the rain drenched his hair in a matter of seconds and glared up at the sky with all the malice he could manage. Ladybug doubled over with raucous laughter, clutching her sides as she snorted in a distinctly un-ladylike manner.

"O-Oh, Chat! The- The look on y-your face!" she hiccupped. It was hard to tell if there were tears streaming from her eyes or if it was just rain pouring down her face.

Another crack of thunder punctuated Ladybug's animated laughter, and her pigtails hung loosely around her shoulders, weighed down by the water that dripped from them.

Despite the frustration of another thwarted attempt, Chat Noir was unable to stay angry for long when his lady was having such a good time. Their laughs mingled with the pitter-patter of the rain on the pavement while lightening bathed the city in flickering brilliance.

There truly _was_ only one thing more beautiful than Paris at night.


	30. Trials IV

**GUESS WHO HAS THEIR INTERNET BACK? THIS NERD!**

 **I don't think I can top the moonlit picnic in the romance department, so have this thing instead!**

* * *

 **Trials IV**

The bright sunny weather that bathed the streets of Paris belied the dark maelstrom of emotions that raged within one Adrien Agreste. By the time Monday rolled around, the freak lightening storm that interrupted his confession was no longer a laughing matter.

"Maybe that blogger girl should call you _Storm Cloud_ instead of Sunshine, eh kid?" Plagg remarked with an amused expression on his face.

"You're not funny, Plagg," Adrien muttered.

"I told you you'd regret not asking for my advice in the first place. Are you ready to admit defeat?" the kwami hummed, mischief dancing in his slitted eyes.

The model sighed and paused in the middle of the walkway, unfazed by the fact that he was going to be late for school. " _Fine_. I'll try anything, at this point."

He crossed his arms over his chest as Plagg floated out to hover at eye level.

"Good. Now listen well, cause I'm not gonna repeat myself," the cat creature warned.

"Okay? I'm listening," Adrien replied, an uncharacteristic frown on his face.

"Stop trying." Plagg deadpanned.

Adrien gave him a flat look, "Seriously? Why-"

"I'm not finished," the kwami interrupted with a roll of his eyes. "You've spent so much time trying to _plan_ everything that you've lost sight of the bigger picture. You don't need flowers or a fancy dinner. Stop waiting for the perfect moment to come along; it doesn't exist."

The kwami narrowed his eyes at his chosen, and poked him in the nose, "Blurt. It. Out."

Adrien's eyebrows pulled together, communicating his skepticism, "That doesn't sound-"

"Forget literally everything you know about tact. _Blurt it out_." Plagg ordered, before retreating into Adrien's pocket.

The blond boy scoffed and continued up the stairs and into the school, scuffing his feet along the way to convey his displeasure to the kwami in his shirt pocket. Class was already in session, and Ms. Mendeliev gave him a withering glare that he usually responded to with a disarming smile.

He didn't have the energy to answer at all, and simply made his way to his seat in order to resume pouting as soon as possible.

 _Blurt it out._

It was Plagg's advice, and nothing else had worked so far. It was worth a shot, so Adrien resolved to confess to Marinette at the first chance he got. He could do that; it was simple. However, once he made up his mind to follow Plagg's advice, it seemed like keeping it in took monumental effort.

 _Blurt it out._

The droning of the teacher's voice grated on his nerves, and every tick of the clock on the wall seemed to hack away at his paper-thin patience. He vaguely noted that Nino was giving him concerned glances, and where that would normally fill him with warmth, it only served to exacerbate his foul mood.

 _Blurt it out._

He jiggled his leg impatiently and his eyes locked on the clock. The second hand seemed to move in slow motion. Every movement took a year, and Adrien's heart thudded against his chest in anticipation.

The pressure was building beneath the surface, and it was all Adrien could do to stay put. He could feel his pulse pounding in his ears. He was like a volcano preparing to erupt.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" he shouted, leaping from his seat so quickly that his books fell to ground with a loud crash. The class collectively cringed at the abrupt volume of their usually tranquil classmate.

"First, it was Captain Frosty, and then that rude waiter, and then an _actual_ spontaneous lightening storm!? THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE HATES ME!" Adrien shouted deafeningly before whirling to face Marinette, his anger giving way to pure incredulity.

"I just wanted, like, five minutes! _Is that too much to ask_?" he hissed, oblivious to the odd looks he was receiving from his classmates.

An uncomfortable silence settled over the classroom, and Adrien flushed with embarrassment as the full impact of his actions occurred to him. He'd made a terrible mistake.

"Sorry," he squeaked, frozen beneath the shocked stares of his classmates.

Marinette's eyes were wide with concern, and Ms. Mendeliev cleared her throat.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng, would you please escort Mr. Agreste to the Guidance Counselor's office?"

Marinette nearly tripped in her haste to get out of her seat, grabbing Adrien's shoulders and steering him toward the door.

"S-Sure thing!" she called over her shoulder as she pushed him out of the classroom and slammed the door behind them. She didn't stop until they were outside of the building, and she gently guided him to sit on the nearby bench.

"I really messed up," he muttered miserably, burying his face in his hands. Marinette wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

"What is _going on_ with you, Kitty?" she whispered as she rubbed his back comfortingly.

He sighed and shifted so that he could look her in the eyes. She removed her arm from his shoulders only to slip her hand into his as she patiently awaited his explanation.

"It's just… Everything keeps going wrong," he murmured, his thumb tracing circles on the back of her hand.

"Oh, Adrien. Sometimes life doesn't go the way we plan, but that's no reason to give up," she stated in a reassuring tone of voice. Her blue eyes sparkled with Ladybug confidence, and Adrien found himself being drawn in by her once again.

"Or to blow your top in class," she tacked on, a smile in her voice.

"I know. I'm sorry for losing my temper," he apologized with a sheepish laugh.

Marinette snorted in amusement, "I don't think I've ever seen you so frustrated! I didn't know you were _capable_ of losing your temper."

She smirked playfully, and he couldn't help but to return the gesture.

"If this kitty lost his temper too often, it'd be _cat-_ astrophic," he stated with a self-satisfied grin.

"Ugh. I'm glad you're feeling better," she replied with only a minor frown at his cat pun.

"I always feel better when I'm with you," he murmured fervently, giving her fingers a tender squeeze. The edges of her lips turned up in a shy smile, "I feel better when I'm with you, too."

His smile widened as he reached with his free hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, "You know how I've been trying to tell you something for a while now?"

Marinette's cheeks colored in response to his touch, and she nodded with a quick jerk of her head. "Y-Yeah."

"I'm ready to tell you now," he replied, fingers still resting against her cheek.

She gave a breathy laugh and tightened her grip on his hand. "Go ahead."

Adrien gazed into her eyes with all the seriousness he could muster, "I love you, Marinette. I've loved you since the very beginning."

She took a sharp little breath, her wide bluebell eyes locked on his summer green irises.

His cheeks were flushed and his eyes swam with emotion and Marinette thought she'd never seen anything more beautiful.

"I love you too," she whispered, eyes fluttering shut as she closed the short distance between their faces.

It was a short kiss that jolted Adrien's heart like a lightening strike, and he reeled as Marinette wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. Adrien's chin settled against the top of her head as he returned her embrace.

They both couldn't help but to think that they had never felt as whole as they did in each other's arms.

A laugh drifted up from Marinette, muffled by the fabric of his shirt. "So those _were_ supposed to be dates?" she asked.

"Yeah. I don't think I was clear enough," he admitted, clearing his throat awkwardly. Marinette sat up and gently smoothed out the front of his shirt before meeting his gaze.

Her expression was an interesting mixture of flustered and amused, "No, I think I was the problem. I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but I really hoped they were dates."

Adrien snickered, "I was worried you thought the hand-holding was supposed to be platonic. I definitely didn't _want_ it to be, that's for sure."

Marinette furrowed her brow, "What?"

He shrugged at her helplessly, "You looked uncomfortable." The pigtailed girl shook her head incredulously, "I wasn't uncomfortable, I was just...surprised! Do you have _any idea_ how excited I was about that?"

A sly grin stretched across his face, "No. Please enlighten me, Princess."

Marinette's eyes widened in surprise before her expression shifted into a smug grin, "Oh, only as excited as you were."

His smirk only widened in response, and he leaned forward so that they were nearly nose-to-nose. His summer green eyes filled her vision, and she resisted the panicky urge to pull away.

"Ah. You must have been ecstatic, then," he murmured, his voice filled with Chat Noir charm.

A spark flared in her eyes, and he knew he was in trouble before she even opened her mouth.

"Exactly," she replied, giving him a saucy wink.

Adrien's smirk melted away as his face rose in temperature but he refused to pull away from her no matter how nervous he was. They stared into each other's eyes, both awestruck and euphoric at this turn of events.

"You're pretty," he blurted, red-faced and flustered.

Marinette giggled and timidly cupped his burning cheeks with her hands, "You're not so bad yourself."

There was a minute pause before Adrien drifted forward, lightly bumping his nose against hers as he went in for another kiss.

Their lips brushed gently and timidly, hearts hammering with elation. Marinette's grip on his face was soft but firm, and he did his best not to melt into a happy puddle of goo on the spot.

It was at this point that Tikki decided to intervene.

"Marinette, I think you two should get back to class. This will look very bad if someone comes looking for you," she warned, looking rather apologetic for interrupting the moment.

The dark haired girl gasped and released Adrien's face, much to his disappointment.

"Oh my gosh! You're right, Tikki!" Marinette squeaked, eyes wide as she imagined the worst possible consequences of being caught kissing on a bench during class time.

Adrien sighed and scuffed the toe of his shoe against the cement. Marinette stood up and turned to him with a nervous smile, "We should go." He nodded his agreement and rose from the bench.

The pigtailed girl laced her fingers through his and gave him a blinding smile before pulling him into a brisk jog alongside her. Keeping pace with Marinette was as natural to Adrien as breathing, and their hands fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

The rest of the day passed in a whirlwind of activity that neither Marinette nor Adrien had much motivation to remember. When the blond boy got home and looked back at his day, everything after they returned to class was stolen glances and blissful smiles.

He sunk down onto his bed with a happy sigh and buried his face into the pillows. He was vaguely aware of Plagg's presence, but felt no need to speak.

"Ya know… when I said blurt it out, that wasn't exactly what I had in mind," Plagg drawled from somewhere above Adrien's head.

The boy rolled onto his back to look up at the kwami, whose expression was indifferent save for the twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

"Your classmates probably think you're ridiculous," the black cat kwami continued, inspecting his paw as if he was talking about the weather.

Adrien smiled up at him, "Thank you, Plagg. Your advice was really helpful."

The little black creature blinked in surprise; his slitted eyes widened as he regarded his chosen.

Plagg quickly schooled his expression into a lazy half-lidded scowl, "Yeah, well don't get used to it!"

With that, the kwami retreated to the waste bin, leaving Adrien to himself. As he gazed at his white ceiling, he somehow didn't feel as alone as he usually did in his room. He had amazing friends who jumped through hoops to help him, he had his grumpy kwami, and he had whatever his relationship with his partner was blossoming into.

His phone buzzed and he glanced at the screen, only to feel a dopey grin stretch across his face when he realized that it was a text from Marinette.

Perhaps he was wrong in thinking that the universe hated him. He grinned as he answered Marinette's "What's up?" message with an "I love you" and more than a few heart emojis.


	31. Fort

**I just thought I'd let you all know that I'd like to get to at least 40 chapters before I officially end this one shot collection. Of course, now I have to get really inventive with the topics.**

 **So, I used a Fluff Month prompt for this one because why not!**

* * *

 **Fort**

There was something therapeutic about building a massive blanket fort. Marinette knew this better than anyone, and seemed determined to make sure that her best friend could relax after such a hard day at school.

Chloé had been particularly vicious, and Alya had been denied an internship with one of the local news stations. It wouldn't have been as bad if Chloé hadn't had that bad news as ammo for her bullying, of course.

Alya trudged up the stairs toward Marinette's room with heavy footsteps, as if her shoes were full of lead. Her overnight bag was slung over her shoulder, and her fiery hair was tied up in a messy bun. The pigtailed girl threw open the trapdoor and grinned at her friend as she ushered her in.

The middle of the room was piled high with folded blankets, and various clothes racks and other supplies stood in strategic locations. The blogger's eyes widened behind her glasses, "No. Way. Is this what I think it is?"

Marinette smirked and put her hands on her hips, striking a heroic pose that was somewhat ruined by her pink pajamas and fuzzy slippers. "If you think we're going to build the best blanket fort known to man, then yes."

Bad day instantaneously forgotten, Alya squealed with excitement and rushed to pull a blanket from the top of the pile, "Okay, girl! Where do we start?"

Marinette tapped her chin pensively, eyeballing the distance between two clothes racks. "Well, we need to build the skeleton before we do anything else," she murmured before grabbing a large roll of woven cord and offering one end to Alya.

The girl took it and eyed her best friend curiously. Marinette grinned and pointed to a subtle hook that was attached high on her wall, which could be reached by climbing up to her bed.

"You tie it to that hook. I'll get the one on the other side of the room," Marinette explained. Alya gave the other hook a skeptical look, deciding that it was physically impossible for a normal person to reach it without a ladder.

Fortunately, Marinette was not a normal person and she scaled the wall like it was no big deal. After attaching the string to the hook, she flipped down to the floor with the grace of an acrobat. Alya shook her head as she attached her end to the right hook and descended to grab more from Marinette.

Once the cord and clothes racks had been arranged into the bones of the fort, Marinette smiled excitedly.

"Now for the fun part!" she exclaimed while snatching a blanket from the floor.

Just a few blankets and safety pins later, Alya and Marinette lay in the floor gazing up at the ceiling of their architectural wonder. Strings of fairy lights illuminated the inside of the fort, and a plate piled high with sweets from the bakery sat between them.

Tikki munched on a cookie as she admired their handiwork.

"It's so beautiful!" the blogger gushed.

Marinette wiped a nonexistent tear from her eye, "All of my dreams have come true."

"It's very impressive," TIkki agreed, a contented smile on her face.

Alya turned to Marinette with an inquisitive gleam in her eye, "Speaking of dreams coming true, you never _did_ give me the scoop on you and Adrien."

The dark haired girl blushed and twirled a pigtail between her fingers, "We shouldn't talk about that right now. Tonight is about girl time!"

The blogger rolled her eyes, "Oh Marinette. You know it isn't proper girl time until we've talked about boys."

She abruptly sat up, adjusting her glasses and crossing her arms, "I'll go first! Nino and I are officially official."

Marinette snorted, "I thought you were already official?"

Alya looked at her friend as if she'd committed a crime, "I said we were _practically_ official. That's totally different than _officially_ official."

"That's way too complicated!" Marinette exclaimed, waving around a chocolate cookie that she seemed to have forgotten she was holding.

"No, you just don't get it," Alya retorted with a dramatized indignant huff.

"Sorry, I'll try to be a better friend," the dark haired girl replied with a roll of her eyes.

"You better. 'Cause I deserve the best," she replied with a theatrical flip of her hair.

The girl laughed in response and took a bite of her cookie, and Alya elbowed her best friend playfully, "So…you and Adrien. Give me all the deets. Don't leave anything out."

Marinette flushed bright red and let out a breathy laugh, "Oh Alya, he's so sweet. Is it weird to still get nervous when I tell him that I love him? I mean, we've only been together for about two weeks, but it's still scary."

"Yeah, that's weird." Alya snickered, a hand over her mouth while Marinette battered her with a fluffy white pillow.

"Stop p-picking on me!" Marinette squealed, laughter ruining her serious tone.

"Girl, he literally planned a moonlit picnic for you! There's no reason to be nervous," Alya exclaimed through her giggles.

"I know that! I'm just still getting used to it, that's all," Marinette replied, crossing her arms defensively.

Alya snagged a lemon bar from the plate and took a bite. "Nino and I are going to the movies tomorrow night. Maybe you and your boyfriend should tag along," she suggested with a waggle of her eyebrows.

Marinette let loose a lovesick sigh, clasping her hands near her face, "Like a double date?" "Yeah!" Alya replied. The blogger wrapped her friend in a hug, "It'll give me a chance to see the results of all my hard work."

Marinette twisted in her embrace to point an accusing finger at her face, "That's the only reason you suggested it, isn't it?" Alya rolled her eyes, "I mean, you guys are so careful about keeping Chloé in the dark that no one at school even knows you're dating. I need to observe you in a different setting."

Tikki giggled as she snuggled into Marinette's hair, "You all deserve a night of fun. You work so hard." Alya grinned and released her friend, "See? TIkki's on board."

The dark haired girl reached into the pocket of her pajama shorts and pulled out her phone, "I'll have to ask Adrien if he's free."

She typed out a quick message and sent it to him, putting the phone on the floor beside her as she reached for a pastry. Alya's excited grin gave way to a dejected frown, "I'm still pretty bummed about the internship."

Marinette nodded knowingly, "I know. It's okay to be sad about it." Alya sighed and rested her head in her hands. A fire sparked in Marinette's eyes as she took Alya's hands in hers, "Besides, if they couldn't see that you're already the best reporter in Paris, they don't deserve to have you as an intern!"

Alya gave her a small grin, "Yeah, you're right." The pigtailed girl giggled, "Of course I am!"

A knock sounded from the trap door, and Marinette glanced around in confusion.

"That sounded like it came from the roof," Alya murmured. The rapping occurred again, and this time Marinette was _sure_ it came from the roof.

Alya gave the girl a meaningful look, "Gee, I wonder who that could be." Marinette frowned and crawled out of their blanket fort, followed closely by Alya. The girls climbed up to the bed and Marinette swung the hatch open to come face to face with a pair of slitted green eyes.

"Chat Noir. To what do we owe the pleasure?" Marinette drawled, resting her arms on the edge of the opening. The cat themed superhero sat in a crouch, clawed fingertips resting on Marinette's roof and his tail lazily swishing behind him.

"Oh, I just came to let a certain Princess know that I'm free on Saturday," he replied, giving her a flirtatious wink.

Alya grinned mischievously from her place behind Marinette, "Nino and I are gonna see that new superhero movie. I told Marinette that you two should come."

Chat Noir's face split into a gleeful grin, "Like a double date? That'll be so much fun!"

The blogger snickered at his childlike joy, and the cat boy jolted as he seemed to remember something.

"Oh! I actually brought you guys something," he murmured as he turned to retrieve a bag from behind him. The girls' eyes both widened as they recognized the label on the front of it.

"Is that from the new gourmet chocolate shop?" Marinette squeaked, eyes wide with surprise.

"Of course. Only the best chocolate will suffice for a slumber party of this caliber," he replied smoothly as he pushed the bag into Alya's hands.

Marinette grabbed his bell and pulled him down into a hasty kiss. He tipped forward precariously as she disrupted his balance, but his catlike reflexes were enough to keep him from toppling over on her.

"Wow," he whispered as she pulled away, a dazed smile on his face.

The click of a phone camera reminded them of Alya's presence, and they turned to face the blogger with varying expressions of sheepishness.

" _Alyaaaa_ ," Marinette whined.

"That's one for the scrapbook," she remarked with an impish grin.

Chat Noir mirrored her mischievous smile as he turned to the blogger, "Send that to me?"

"You know it," Alya replied easily, despite Marinette's frustrated growls.

He shifted into a standing position, giving his baton an absentminded twirl as he prepared to leave. "Enjoy the chocolate, ladies," he called over his shoulder before leaping up to balance on the railing of the balcony.

"Thank you!" Alya called, waving enthusiastically.

He gave Marinette a two-fingered salute, "See ya later, Princess."

With that, he leaped off into the night, leaving Marinette and Alya staring after him. The girls closed the hatch and flopped onto the bed, gazing at the chocolate with wonder.

" _Princess_ , huh?" the blogger drawled, a smug look on her face. The girl's face colored and she fidgeted with her hair. "I-It's really not a big deal. He called me that before we even knew each other's identities," Marinette explained with a stiff wave that was meant to be nonchalant.

Alya cackled impishly as she pulled out a piece of chocolate. "But it's a big deal _now_!" she teased in a singsong voice. She looked on in satisfaction as her best friend spluttered incoherently and attempted to argue.

Though she liked to give them a hard time, Alya had to admit that she had the greatest friends on the face of the planet. After all, not everyone had a best friend who could build the best blanket fort known to man.


	32. Stubborn

**I got back from vacation recently, so this chapter is inspired by that.**

 **Yes, I know the setup is a bit unrealistic in the world of Miraculous since Gabriel is a notorious killjoy, but just let me have this. #LetAdrienHaveFun2k17**

* * *

 **Stubborn**

Alya, Marinette, and Nino had been on the beach for several hours when the sunset began to paint the sky with brilliant shades of auburn and blush. Alya's skin had tanned to a nice golden color, and Marinette shot her best friend a glare.

"Sometimes I envy that you don't burn. I think I spent half my time here applying sunscreen," the designer lamented, kicking the white sand with her foot. Alya shrugged, "Girl, you've got beautiful skin too. Embrace your easily burnt beauty!"

The girls laughed and Nino changed the song that was blaring through their Bluetooth radio to something gentler to accentuate the sunset. The three friends sat in relative silence and the music blended in with the crashing waves while the sun sank lower in the sky.

The crunching of footsteps in the sand alerted them to another person's approach, and they all turned their attention to the newcomer. Adrien walked toward them, his hair flawlessly tousled and makeup still perfectly applied from his photo shoot. He wore a simple black _Gabriel_ brand tank top with white shorts, and carried his designer shoes to protect them from the sand.

Though he looked perfect in almost every way, his shoulders were slouched with exhaustion, and his smile was full of relief at seeing his friends waiting for him.

"You guys are literally the best thing that has ever happened to me," the model murmured, pausing to gaze at them in wide-eyed wonder.

Plagg emerged from the pocket of his shorts with a scoff, "No, _I'm_ the best thing that has ever happened to you." Tikki promptly snatched him out of the air and they disappeared beneath Marinette's discarded sun hat.

The teens ignored the kwamis in favor of worrying over Adrien, and Nino laughed heartily.

"We know, dude! You only tell us, like, every day," he remarked. Marinette rose from her spot on the towel to stand beside him. She placed her hand on Adrien's back as she guided him toward the vacant spot beside Alya.

"No, I don't want to take your spot!" he protested weakly. The dark haired girl set her jaw stubbornly as she continued to coax him onto the towel, "You're not taking my spot. I'll sit beside you."

He relented with little resistance and slumped down onto his back with a tired sigh. Marinette took a seat on the edge of the towel beside his head as promised, and brushed his hair out of his face with a feather-light touch.

She wrinkled her nose at him playfully, "Ugh, your hair is all crunchy. They've ruined everything." He grinned up at her, "It's just hairspray. It'll wash out."

Alya laughed and rolled her eyes, "Leave it to Marinette to think your hair being full of gunk is the end of the world."

The girl pouted as her fingers ghosted across his hairline, "I like running my fingers through it. I can't do that when it's styled like this." The blond mirrored her pout, "Yeah, that's a definite downside to having a team of stylists attack me all day."

"Dude, your face is always ridiculously pretty, but are you _sparkly_ or something right now?" Nino asked with a teasing smile. The model gave his best friend a weak punch in the arm, "It's called highlight, and it's _very_ sparkly."

Adrien let out a tired sigh and allowed his eyes to drift shut as the sounds of the waves threatened to lull him to sleep. "I know it probably looks ridiculous for me to be so tired when modeling isn't really that hard, but I get so sore when I have such long sessions," he murmured drowsily as he blindly reached for Marinette's hand.

She threaded her fingers through his and gave him a reassuring squeeze while Nino whipped his head around in surprise.

"What? No way, man! That modeling stuff is way hard!" Nino exclaimed disbelievingly.

"Nuh-uh, Sunshine. I did my homework. Modeling is intense," Alya agreed with a sassy flip of her hair.

Marinette smiled and patted his cheek with her free hand; "You don't have to act tough for us, Adrien. We know you."

His eyes flew open as he gazed at her in unabashed adoration.

"You're _amazing_ ," he breathed.

Alya cleared her throat, calling his attention to herself and Nino. "-All of you," Adrien amended with a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, I know you're all about your girl, but we'd like some attention too," Nino remarked with a mischievous smirk. They all laughed together and eventually lapsed into silence to watch the sun as it dipped below the horizon.

"I still can't believe your dad let you bring us on this trip," Alya said, looking properly surprised.

Adrien shrugged, "Well, I've learned a bit over the years. Nathalie has the best success rate when it comes to talking to my father, so I asked _her_ and she handled it. I have no idea what she said, but I guess it worked?"

Nino leaned back on his elbows and took a deep breath of the salty air, "Well, I'm just glad we got to hang out with you."

Marinette gasped and clapped her hands together with excitement, "We should do something nice for Nathalie!"

The Ladyblogger nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah! She's gotta be super stressed all the time."

"We should send her to the spa. That's where my mom goes when she needs a breather," Nino suggested.

The teenagers turned to their friend with varying expressions of surprise, and a silence settled over their side of the beach.

"What? I can be considerate," the DJ said, crossing his arms defensively.

"That's a great idea, Nino," Adrien agreed, looking quite impressed with his friend's thoughtfulness.

"Good. Now that that's settled, when are you going to get a break tomorrow? I wanna take some cute couple pictures," Alya stated, raising her fingers and miming taking pictures from a few angles.

The model threw an arm over his eyes dramatically, "Please, no more pictures! I can't _take_ it. I might _snap_!"

Marinette giggled and gave his shoulder a tiny shove, and he peeked out from under his arm to gauge their reactions. Nino rolled his eyes at the puns while Alya lowered the imaginary camera and smiled apologetically.

"If you really don't want to take more pictures, I totally understand," she replied earnestly. Adrien quickly sat up and waved his arms dismissively, "No, no! I don't mind taking pictures with you guys. That's not work; it's different! I have a two hour lunch break tomorrow."

Alya clasped her hands together excitedly, "Okay! We're all gonna have sickeningly sweet pictures to frame when we get home." Nino shot her finger guns, "Wouldn't want it any other way."

Marinette grinned knowingly at her best friend, "Good, then I can replace my Chat Noir desktop background."

Adrien's eyes grew to the size of saucers and he whipped his head around to stare at Marinette, "You have a Chat Noir desktop background?"

The girl tossed her head back with laughter, joined by Alya's snickers of amusement. "Well, I am officially Chat Noir's biggest fan," Marinette explained through fits of giggles.

"She was _Adrien's_ biggest fan first, though. Let no one forget her _previous_ desktop background," Alya remarked, fingers steepled in mock reverence.

Marinette's laughter cut off with a strangled squeal, " _Alya_! We promised never to speak of that again!"

Adrien's eyes darted between the two girls, his expression frozen in a state of confusion.

"Um, I'm very curious about this alleged previous desktop background," he stated, giving Marinette a pleading smile.

"No. I am not discussing it," Marinette said with a huff.

"Whelp, that doesn't mean _I_ can't discuss it," Alya exclaimed, settling in for story-time. Marinette jumped to her feet with Ladybug speed and pulled Adrien along behind her in a mad dash for the ocean.

Her plan seemed to work, as Adrien instantly dropped their previous conversation in favor of avoiding the water his girlfriend threw at him.

Nino raised an eyebrow at their behavior and turned to Alya, who was sporting an amused grin.

"Well, we might as well join them, huh?" she suggested, knocking the red cap off of his head with a playful flick of her fingers.

"Oh, you wanna go?" he challenged, knocking her glasses askew in a similar manner. "You're on!" Alya shouted before jumping to her feet and tearing off toward the water.

It wasn't long before they were all standing in the ocean and splashing each other mercilessly. Marinette only stopped once Adrien's hair was dripping with saltwater, and she stood back to admire her work with a satisfied expression.

"There! It's fixed now," she announced, ignoring Alya and Nino's ongoing battle a few feet away.

A particularly large wave swept through and knocked her off balance, and she toppled into the water with an ungraceful splash. Adrien snorted at her misfortune and offered her his hand, which she accepted with an impish smile.

She promptly used his outstretched hand to pull him into the water too.

He sat across from her while the waves crashed against them and gave her a roguish grin, "Looks like I fell for you again."

She giggled and reached up to comb her fingers through his soaked hair, "You're such a dork."

"As long as I'm _your_ dork," he quipped, catching her hand and bringing it to his lips for a suave kiss as he gazed at her through his lashes. Her cheeks colored immediately, and she yanked her hand from his grasp so that she could cover her face.

"Y-You can't do that!" she squealed, face hidden in her hands.

He blinked in confusion, "I can't?"

"N-No! It's fair not! Gah! I mean, not fair!" the girl stammered, shaking her head at her own ineptitude.

"Wait, are you saying that my flirting finally works on you?" Adrien asked, genuine curiosity flashing in his eyes.

She lowered her hands to shoot him a mild glare; "Well I'd hope so, since you're my b-boyfriend now."

Marinette seemed determined to ignore the obvious stutter, and the blond decided to play along.

He nodded sagely, "Yes, it wouldn't do to have a boyfriend who doesn't know how to flirt."

The girl snorted and rolled her eyes, "I didn't say you knew how, just that whatever you're doing is working." "Ouch, that hurts," Adrien exclaimed. He immediately grinned and leaned into her personal space, a very _Chat Noir_ look of mischief in his eyes.

"Are you gonna kiss it and make it better, Princess?" he flirted boldly. He seemed unaffected when she placed a finger on his nose and pushed him out of her face.

"No, because you're acting like Chat Noir," she replied with a smile.

"I _am_ Chat Noir," he protested, laughing at their conversation. The dark haired girl smirked, rose to her feet, and made as if to leave.

"Not right now, you're not," she called over her shoulder before sauntering away. Adrien stared after her, looking just as thunderstruck as the day he first fell in love with Ladybug.

"Dude. You should've seen that coming," Nino remarked, jolting Adrien out of his own little world. The blond seemed to have forgotten that they weren't alone on the beach, and jumped a bit at his best friend's voice.

Adrien blinked owlishly at him, and Alya snickered into her hand. "Nice one, Agreste," she remarked, following Marinette back to where she was packing up their beach bags.

Night had fallen at some point while they played in the water, and it was high time they went back to the hotel for some much needed rest.

The blond boy hopped to his feet and sloshed back to shore alongside Nino, who patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. Despite the fact that a normal person would be upset that they'd been denied a kiss from their significant other, Adrien seemed to be on cloud nine.

Adrien started closing up the umbrella while Nino grabbed the speaker and powered it off. The girls walked ahead, chatting amongst themselves as they went, and Adrien stared after Marinette with a dopey grin stretched across his face.

Nino nudged his friend's arm, "Seriously, why are you smiling like that?"

The boy laughed and offered an explanation that made little sense to Nino.

"She's so _stubborn_."


	33. Patience

**Hey there! The stories have been coming pretty slowly because life is really busy right now, and probably will remain so from here on out. I'm glad I was able to get so many chapters in while I had the time, though!**

 **Here's another Plagg centered one shot that happened mostly because of PurifiedWildAkuma's review!**

* * *

 **Patience**

If distance truly did make the heart grow fonder, Plagg could only hope that Adrien was never separated from the love of his life for a long stretch of time.

Sure, it was nice to see Adrien with a spring in his step, but a kwami could only take so much sighing and blushing before he would snap.

Plagg liked to think that he was as patient as he was hungry, which was all the time. Adrien in love was making him reevaluate the scope of his patience.

As the cat creature lounged on his chosen's desk, he stared off into space while he contemplated the soft woody notes he had definitely detected in that last wheel of Brie.

As far as cheeses that weren't Camembert went, Brie was fairly palatable. Also, Adrien was gushing about how much he loved Marinette for about the thousandth time that day. How exciting.

"She loves hamsters! No one I've talked to has _ever_ specifically wanted a hamster, but _she_ said it like there was no question about it. It's honestly so cute how she's already planned out her future pets, right?" Adrien rambled mostly to himself.

"Not really. I'm a firm believer in going with the flow and seeing where life takes ya," Plagg remarked with a dismissive wave of his paw. The model turned to the kwami with a surprised smile; he obviously hadn't expected any feedback.

Plagg wasn't offended. It was a fair assumption.

"You know, I actually agree with that. That's kinda why I like listening to Marinette's plans," Adrien admitted with a shrug.

The cat kwami squinted at his chosen critically, "Kid, that doesn't make any sense."

The blond chuckled and rested his head in his hands, "Of course it does. If I made a bunch of plans for the future, I'd probably throw a wrench in hers. I don't mind if she wants to plan everything, because I'm happy just to be a part of them."

Plagg made a gagging noise and stuck his nose up in the air. "You know, I thought you'd get more bearable once you got to know the girl better. Instead, you just keep getting more and more gross," he complained, side-eyeing Adrien scathingly.

Adrien smiled and extended a finger to affectionately rub between Plagg's ears, "Every time I learn something new about her, it's just another thing to fall in love with."

 _Of course_ Adrien would tell Plagg that the sappy, romantic behavior would never go away. …In the _sappiest_ , _most romantic_ way possible.

Plagg rolled his eyes and turned his attention to an imaginary speck on the wall. Imaginary specks didn't prattle on about love all time, so they were deserving of his attention.

The kwami's eyes sparked with a sudden idea, and he gave Adrien a smirk full of mischief, "What happens when you learn something you don't like about her?"

Adrien tilted his head, brow furrowed in deep concentration. Finally, he spoke, "I don't think that's possible, Plagg."

"Wanna bet?"

The black cat kwami grinned impishly when they shook on it.

…

The plan was simple, underhanded, and it would work. Plagg's increased cheese intake depended on it, so he would accept nothing less than overwhelming success.

As Adrien nearly bounced up the stairs to Marinette's door, the kwami fidgeted in anticipation at the mere thought of his plan. It only took a few minutes for the lovebirds to become completely engrossed in their conversation; emphasis on the _gross_ part.

He waited until Tikki was sufficiently distracted by the teens' playful banter, and immediately darted over to Marinette's computer. He sifted through the files with lightening speed, and found a rather suspicious folder named "Adrien".

When he opened it, the first thing he noticed was the sheer magnitude of what he had discovered. His slitted eyes sparkled with glee as he switched the desktop background from the cutesy beach picture to what _had to be_ the infamous previous image.

He opened a few rather incriminating files for good measure and beat a hasty retreat to Adrien's side before they noticed he was missing.

"Hey, Adrien. Isn't that you?" Plagg called, widening his eyes to paint a picture of innocence as he tugged on the boy's sleeve.

Adrien turned to the kwami with a quizzical expression, and the cat creature dutifully pointed in the direction of the computer screen.

No sooner had the boy's eyes locked on the screen, than Marinette let out a high pitched screech of disbelief.

"No! No, no, no!" the dark haired girl shrieked, jumping to her feet and rushing over to stare at the computer in disbelief and horror. Adrien somehow ended up standing beside her, gazing at the screen with wide eyes and a slack jaw.

The collage in the background immediately drew the most attention. After all, it was very _pink_ and covered in little doodled hearts and at least six pictures of Adrien's face.

Then there was the open folder that clearly displayed more than forty photos from various modeling gigs. One of the open files was actually a leaked image from the recent beach shoot. Marinette looked like she was going to be sick.

Plagg was rather pleased with the mayhem he'd managed to cause, and waited with bated breath for the rest to unfold.

"Marinette? Why is all of that on your computer?" Adrien asked in a small voice, eyes still glued to the swooping hearts drawn around his face.

The girl gave a forced laugh and a jerky wave of her hand that was supposed to be dismissive, "Ha! J-Just keeping up with you, obviously. It's definitely _not_ because I was talking to a collage of your face or anything!"

Adrien whipped his head around, and his wide eyes fixed on her quickly reddening expression.

"Y-You what?" he stammered, shoulders drawing upwards nervously as he spotted the panic in her eyes. Plagg stuffed his hands in his mouth to stifle his laughter.

"I didn't kiss the screen, either!" Marinette screeched, covering her face with her hands while Tikki frantically tried to calm her down.

Adrien's jaw dropped, and his eyes darted between his girlfriend and the glaring pink of her computer screen.

This was panning out way better than Plagg could have ever imagined.

Marinette sniffed and peeked up at the blond with watery eyes. Her shoulders were slumped in defeat, and her lip trembled dangerously, "I…I never wanted you to see that. I'm so embarrassed."

Adrien intuitively closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around Marinette, gently pulling her against his chest. She buried her face in the front of his shirt, sniffling as she clenched the fabric in her hands.

Plagg's green eyes were wide in disbelief as he noted Adrien's distinct lack of outrage. Where was the drama? What happened to the intrigue?

"You're not mad at me?" she asked, still tense despite the embrace.

He snorted, "What? Why would I be mad?"

Marinette pulled back just enough to meet his gaze. Her eyes were narrowed as she searched his face for any sign of deceit.

"Because I acted like a weirdo," she stated matter-of-factly.

Plagg nodded in agreement, having given up on trying to appear aloof. Kissing a collage of somebody's face definitely belonged in the weirdo category.

Adrien chuckled and gave her shoulders a squeeze, "I acted like a weirdo too."

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows. "When?" she inquired.

"All the time! Copycat happened because I got jealous. I lied and told Theo we were a thing," Adrien admitted, looking away in embarrassment.

"Hm…" She pursed her lips in thought, "That was _your_ fault? I thought he got akumatized because I didn't show up!"

Adrien grinned ruefully and rubbed the back of his neck, "I was too ashamed to tell you what really happened."

Marinette giggled and gave his arm a playful swat. "You let me feel guilty about it!" she accused.

Adrien raised a single finger, "To be fair, I was crushed when you implied that I didn't love you. So technically, I still paid for my crime in the end."

The pigtailed girl gasped and gingerly cradled his face in her hands.

"Oh my gosh! I forgot I even said that! I'm so sorry," she babbled, frantically petting his hair and caressing his face to communicate the depth of her regret.

By that point, Plagg knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he had lost the bet. He took a moment to mentally prepare himself for the week he would spend deprived of unnecessary cheese.

Adrien's expressive eyes plainly displayed his admiration of the girl in front of him, and he reached up to place his hand atop the one that still rested on his cheek. The girl blushed, but made no move to pull away.

"I can't believe you care about me so much, Marinette. Sometimes I'm so happy it hurts to breathe," he mused, emerald green eyes sparkling with the beginnings of tears.

Marinette beamed; it was breathtaking and genuine and so very beautiful.

"Me too, Adrien. Me too."

The black cat kwami cracked a smile. Loath as he was to admit it, sometimes those kids were actually kind of cute.


	34. Cinematic

**Fun fact: the movie they're watching was planned out while I was brainstorming crack ideas with Sakura Marie!**

* * *

 **Cinematic**

Alya was so excited for the impending double date that she almost didn't mind the thunderstorm that raged just outside her window. The blogger pulled out her cutest rain boots, which were a very fashionable Chelsea style that Marinette bought her.

"Do you think I should wear jeans?" she asked, turning to her best friend for advice.

The pigtailed girl sat on the edge of Alya's bed and shook her head. "No, wear leggings and that oversized shirt I made you for your birthday. They'll dry much faster than jeans and flannel."

Alya hummed and nodded her head as she pulled the shirt from her closet, "Yeah, that's why you're the fashion expert and I'm just the _all-around_ expert."

Tikki giggled from her place on Marinette's shoulder. "I'll give you that one, Alya!" the pigtailed girl exclaimed with a laugh.

"What are you wearing, Marinette?" Tikki asked, zipping up to eye level.

"My custom-made Jagged Stone shirt and distressed jeggings. I just finished up the pants yesterday, and my chunky rain boots will be perfect with them!" Marinette replied with clear excitement in her eyes.

Alya grinned at her, "Ooh, going with an edgy look, then?"

Marinette blushed and shrugged, "I mean, the Jagged shirt is very rock and roll, so I guess?"

Alya smiled encouragingly, "Girl, you're gonna rock that look!"

Tikki offered Marinette her phone, "You two should get going soon if you don't want to be late!"

"You're right, Tikki," Marinette replied, grabbing her bag of clothes and rushing to the bathroom to change.

When they arrived at their destination, the four teenagers hopped out of Adrien's car and sprinted to the awning that would shelter them from the rain.

"We _would_ pick the rainiest Saturday ever, right?" Nino joked. Marinette beamed at Adrien, her eyes full of warmth, "I like rain."

"Good, because this seems to be a recurring thing for us," the blond remarked with a playful roll of his eyes. The four of them stood there laughing amongst themselves for a moment before heading inside.

Adrien held the door for the girls like a true gentleman, and then tried to slam it before Nino could walk through. The DJ was able to squeeze through at the last second, and turned to glare at Adrien.

"Dude! That's uncool," Nino complained, while his best friend smirked mischievously.

"You should be more careful, Nino. If I'd accidentally shut your fingers in the door, you'd be in quite a _jamb_ ," Adrien drawled, looking quite satisfied with himself. Marinette giggled, and Alya gave her a flat look.

"Girl. That wasn't funny," Alya chided, crossing her arms. Marinette blushed lightly, and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"He just looked so proud of himself," she murmured with another giggle.

The blogger rolled her eyes and approached her boyfriend. Nino was busy balancing the two buckets of popcorn Adrien had bought, and she sidled up to him with a cheerful grin.

"I'm so excited for this movie," Alya exclaimed. Nino took the bait and smiled widely, "It was produced right here in Paris, you know."

"Wow, really? That's pretty cool," Adrien replied, handing a drink to Marinette.

The pigtailed girl chuckled nervously, "What movie are we seeing again?"

" _Stupendous_ is an action-packed superhero romp, featuring lots of explosions and a strong female lead," Alya explained, looking quite excited about the idea.

"Sounds like _my_ _life_ ," Adrien remarked before popping a piece of popcorn in his mouth, almost as if he hadn't realized he'd said it aloud.

Nino snorted and Alya clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her loud guffaws. Marinette casually took a sip of her soda, looking much too calm beside Alya and Nino.

"Same," she deadpanned.

Alya gave up on trying to hold in her laughter, and soon the other visitors to the theater were giving the four loud teenagers odd looks. Adrien gave a dramatized sigh and began shoving Nino toward the entrance to the auditorium, "We're going to miss the beginning if we don't get moving."

"Okay, okay! Calm down, Sunshine," Alya exclaimed before picking a seat near the back. They all filed in and sat down with Marinette and Alya in the middle, and Adrien and Nino on either side of them. The lights dimmed and the movie began.

 _The opening shot focused on the outside of a sleek, trendy building. It cut away to a young woman in a business suit, who was boarding an elevator. A chipper voiceover began as the woman went through her daily routine at the high tech company, "My name is Marie Luminaire. In the daytime, I'm the CEO of an innovative software and technology development company."_

 _The building shook as an explosion boomed outside, and the woman's eyes narrowed as she stared out the window at the super villain who rampaged through the streets._

 _The voiceover continued, "But when the sun goes down, that's when I become the Stupendous Lightning Bug, bioluminescent hero of the night!"_

 _There was a jump-cut to a dynamic shot of Lightning Bug soaring through the air on large rounded wings. Her suit was mostly black, with glowing stripes of orange emblazoned across her chest. A bug-like helmet covered her entire head, save for her nose and mouth._

Marinette furrowed her brow and leaned toward Alya. "Lightning Bug? Bioluminescent hero of the night?" she whispered. The blogger shushed her and pointed back at the screen, where more explosions were lighting up the city.

 _Lightning Bug dropped down in front of the villain, a stone behemoth who looked alarmingly like Stoneheart wearing a construction helmet. The monster spoke in a gravelly voice, "I am Deconstructor, and you'll all pay for not appreciating me when I was a construction worker!"_

Adrien nudged Marinette with his elbow, "I'm getting Akumatized victim vibes." The pigtailed girl rolled her eyes, "Me too."

 _With that, the behemoth hurled chunks of road at Lightning Bug, who flew upward to avoid them. She began to glow as she spun some sort of energy beam around. The effect was very much like Ladybug's yoyo._

 _A shrieking noise cut through the air, and the superhero was forced to cover her ears. A man in a dark suit dropped out of the sky, silver birdlike wings flapping behind him._

" _Night Hawk!" Lightning Bug spat._

" _You didn't think you got rid of me, did you?" Night Hawk remarked with a sinister grin._

Nino tried to muffle his snort while Marinette gave Alya an unimpressed look. "I thought you said this movie would be good," she hissed.

Adrien laughed quietly while he patted Marinette's hand, "Hey, it could always be worse."

 _A figure appeared on a rooftop above. His voice somehow drowned out the battle, though he didn't seem to be speaking particularly loudly._

" _Two on one. How unfair." He drawled, before dropping down and giving Deconstructor a sound whack on the head with his bow staff._

The camera zoomed out to show the newcomer, and his outfit immediately caused an uproar in the theater audience.

Adrien's jaw dropped, "He's literally Chat Noir with a grey suit!"

"Don't forget the fluffy tail. Dude has a fluffy tail," Nino called helpfully.

" _Silver Wolf, glad you could make it," Lightning Bug exclaimed, giving him a saucy wink._

 _The Chat Noir copy stuck an angsty pose, "When justice calls, I must answer. Like a wolf to the hunt, I cannot ignore it."_

 _Lightning Bug swooned, "Oh Silver Wolf, you're so romantic!"_

"I'm gonna hurl," Alya commented, making a sour face.

Marinette glared at the screen, "Did she just _swoon_ in the middle of a battle?" The explosions on-screen thankfully drowned out Plagg's howling laughter.

 _Night Hawk took advantage of her distraction and nearly landed a blow, which was blocked by Silver Wolf at the last second. "We'll talk later, Love Bug," Silver Wolf flirted in between grappling with the super villain._

 _She fought against the Stoneheart copy with gusto, throwing cheesy banter at the explosion-based villain. Just as the superhero duo began to get the upper hand, Night Hawk flew up high and screeched loudly._

" _Ca-Caw! Ca-Caw!" he shrieked, sending shockwaves of energy pulsing out over the city. "No! He's making a new villain," Lightning Bug exclaimed through gritted teeth._

A wave of laughter crashed over the auditorium, drowning out whatever dialogue came directly after Night Hawk's high-pitched bird noises.

 _A new villain made of pure darkness arrived, and announced that her name was Shadowbox._

" _Those shadows are about as dark as my outlook on life," Silver Wolf commented with another angsty pose. Shadowbox threw shadow spikes at Lightning Bug, who dodged with ease._

" _Looks like she's throwing shade," the Chat Noir rip-off quipped._

Adrien laughed in spite of himself, and Marinette looked betrayed. "Sorry, it caught me off guard," he whispered, not looking sorry at all.

 _Lightning Bug and Silver Wolf stood back to back, with the Stoneheart copy on one side and Shadowbox with Night Hawk on the other._

 _Silver Wolf struck another groan-worthy pose, "Looks like we're stuck between a rock and a hard place. Maybe it's time for a little Stupendous intervention, Love Bug."_

 _Lightning Bug took up a dramatic stance and threw her glowing hand up in the air. "Stupendous Lightning Bug!" she shouted, causing sparks to fly over her head before they reformed into a giant sword._

"Hey! That was Lucky Charm!" an enraged moviegoer shouted at the screen.

"Boo!" Alya hollered, throwing popcorn at the screen. Several other moviegoers joined in, drowning out the flirting between Lightning Bug and Silver Wolf.

From that point on, the crowd collectively poked fun at the cheesy movie. When Silver Wolf abandoned the battle to chase a car, someone shouted that he needed to go to puppy school. When Night Hawk "akumatized" his victims via loud crowing noises, a woman in the front suggested that Hawk Moth should try it.

Suddenly, the already dim theater lights flickered threateningly. Hushed whispers about the storm outside echoed through the theater. The movie screen ripped open as someone crashed through it into the auditorium.

Frightened screams erupted from the audience as the spitting image of Shadowbox stood before them.

"You will _not_ continue to insult this cinematic masterpiece! I am Shadowbox, and I'm pulling the plug on your criticism!" she exclaimed, voice echoing through the room with a reverberating quality that mimicked the movie villain's voice.

Alya jumped up and shoved Marinette and Adrien out of their seats.

"Get help, we'll distract her!" she said in a hushed shout. The secret superheroes wasted no time escaping from the auditorium, leaving pure pandemonium behind as Shadowbox blocked the exit behind them and the other moviegoers panicked.

Nino managed to goad Shadowbox into an argument about the movie's cinematic strong points, or lack thereof, buying the occupants of the theater some time.

Just as the Akumatized woman began to lose patience, Ladybug kicked in the door to the auditorium. As soon as the door had given way, Chat Noir sailed through the air and landed a solid kick to Shadowbox's stomach.

While he kept the akumatized woman busy, Ladybug guided the moviegoers out and emptied the theater of all but Alya and Nino.

After Lucky Charm produced a disco ball that scattered light and disrupted the woman's shadow powers, it was only a matter of plucking the movie ticket from Shadowbox's hand and restoring the damage she'd done to the theater.

A short while later, the four teenagers walked out of the theater side by side, sorely disappointed with the way the evening had gone.

As they stepped outside, Marinette raised a hand up as she checked for raindrops.

"On the plus side, it's stopped raining now," she commented with a cheery smile.

"It's too bad. I planned to say something about cats and dogs on the way out," Adrien quipped, shooting finger guns at an unimpressed Nino.

"Sorry we picked such an awful movie," Alya apologized, wringing her hands nervously.

"It wasn't that bad," Adrien lied, giving them his fakest smile yet.

"Someone got akumatized because of it," Nino deadpanned.

Adrien allowed his smile to drop, "It _was_ pretty terrible."

Marinette looped her arm through her boyfriend's and gave Alya a dazzling smile.

"I think tonight went pretty well, all things considered. We should do it again sometime," the pigtailed girl suggested in a chipper voice.

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind having a do-over," Nino agreed, giving Adrien a friendly punch in the arm. Alya laughed and swung her and Nino's intertwined hands between them as they approached Adrien's car.

They all took turns hopping over a particularly large puddle and stopped just short of the car door.

Marinette looked Alya in the eye very seriously, and raised an authoritative finger. "But next time, _I'm_ picking the movie."

The blogger grinned, "Deal."


	35. Diving

**I just wanted to let you all know that SakuraMarie drew pictures of the characters from _Stupendous_ (the _Miraculous_ rip-off movie featured last chapter)! You can find the art by typing 'sakuramarie' into the search bar on Tumblr! **

**That is all.**

* * *

 **Diving**

Chat Noir locked eyes with Ladybug as they hurdled through the air, watching the ground rush toward them at an alarming pace. They seemed quite bored for people who were essentially tumbling to their deaths.

"You know…when they said it was a skydiving akuma, I didn't take the threat seriously," he admitted, cupping his hands around his mouth to shout over the air rushing by their faces.

"Yeah? Me neither!" Ladybug called back.

The wind whipped her bangs straight upward and out of her face, giving her an odd upside down appearance.

"What?" he shouted back, having missed a lot of what she said.

Neither of them bothered to speak again until the magical parachutes attached to their backs deployed, allowing them to softly float the rest of the way to the ground.

"You know, it was scary the first… _five_ or so times. After that, plummeting to our doom kinda lost its thrill," Chat Noir drawled, crossing his arms over his chest rather than clinging to the parachute like a normal person would.

Ladybug looked just as unimpressed as she glared at a brightly colored speck on the ground.

Sky DieVer came into view, cackling as he watched them drift down to Earth for the billionth time that day. He aimed his hand at them, and Ladybug narrowed her eyes in determination and nodded at Chat Noir.

She called for Lucky Charm; in a flash of light, a pen materialized and dropped into Ladybug's waiting hands. Meanwhile, Chat Noir promptly snipped the lines of their parachutes with his claws before SkyDieVer was able to send them into free-fall again.

Ladybug swung in a graceful arc, landing in front of the villain with a determined gleam in her eye. Sky DieVer seemed a bit frustrated that she had escaped him, as his eyebrows were furrowed in agitation.

"No matter, I'll just send you back into freefall," the man remarked with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"You'll have to catch me first!" she challenged before leaping into action. She dodged his attacks with expert skill, throwing punches and kicks of her own to keep the man on the offensive.

A flash of black registered in her peripheral vision, and a confident grin spread across her face. She tossed the pointy end of the spotted pen to her left, where it popped a rather loud balloon.

Sky DieVer flinched in surprise, allowing Ladybug to land a solid kick to his stomach. Chat Noir was already in place to catch the man. The cat boy used his Cataclysm to dissolve the straps of the Akuma victim's parachute pack, and the man dropped to the ground as he tossed the remains of the bag to Ladybug.

She easily ripped the dilapidated fabric in half, releasing the butterfly so she could capture and cleanse it. After the Miraculous Cure returned every involuntary skydiver to their original location, the heroes' fists met in their traditional victory cry.

The newly grounded citizens that littered the streets demonstrated their gratitude with a deafening round of applause. Chat Noir grinned and gave a lighthearted bow to the cameraman who had jostled his way to the front.

Ladybug narrowed her eyes when it caused a noticeable uproar of girlish screeching.

In a whirl of motion, the spotted superheroine grabbed Chat Noir's bell and yanked him down to eye level.

"After all that skydiving today, I think I've _fallen_ for you," she remarked with a devilish smirk at her pun.

His slitted eyes sparkled with childlike glee as he registered her play on words.

"My Lady! A pun _and_ a pickup line," he very nearly squealed in his excitement.

"What can I say, Kitty? You're _purr_ fect," she flirted.

The crowd around them erupted into excited whispers and surprised giggles, but Ladybug didn't seem to notice.

Chat Noir's grin widened, and he leaned forward until their noses were touching, "Are you trying to ask _meowt_ , Bugaboo?"

Ladybug's eyes widened with surprise.

"The date!" she shrieked, releasing his bell and stepping away with urgency. For once, he didn't seem to deflate at the loss of contact.

"If we leave now, we might be able to make it just a few minutes late," Chat Noir remarked, coiling like a spring as he prepared to make a break for it. Ladybug nodded and tossed her yoyo out.

Soon, Marinette and Adrien were rushing up the steps to the fancy restaurant they'd made reservations to several weeks ago. The pigtailed girl's stomach growled loudly as he held the door open for her.

"I'm sorry, but you are both fifteen minutes late. Your reservations are forfeited according to company policy," the man at the desk explained with an apologetic smile.

Adrien frowned unhappily but nodded his understanding. Marinette gave the man a bright smile and looped her arm through her boyfriend's, "It's okay. We can go get ice cream instead."

They turned to leave, ever courteous, though their stomachs were churning with hunger. The man called out to them just as they reached the door, "Wait, Mr. Agreste!"

Adrien turned back to him with a polite smile, "Yes sir?"

"The seven o' clock reservation for a Mr. Adrien Agreste never showed up, so we have a free table if the two of you would like to be seated," the man explained with a conspiratory wink.

Marinette beamed and practically dragged Adrien back to the counter.

"Thank you so much, sir!" she exclaimed. The blond boy also conveyed his gratitude as the man led them to a table with a great view of the city streets. The table was set with a lovely candlelit centerpiece and sophisticated glassware.

The shadows flickered across their faces, giving the situation a more intimate feel despite the sophisticated nature of the restaurant. The waitress arrived and took their orders, retreating back to the kitchen to fetch the appetizer they'd ordered.

The hungry superheroes ravenously tore into the appetizer after it arrived. Directly after finishing it, they acted as if they had been nothing but well mannered.

"So… I liked that pick up line," Adrien began; green eyes alight with amusement as he regarded his lovely girlfriend.

Marinette flipped her hair theatrically, "I knew you would."

He tapped his chin pensively, "I _do_ regret that we didn't get to finish that conversation though."

The dark haired girl snorted, "I couldn't think of anything else to say anyway."

He chuckled, and a light blush colored his cheeks.

"I-I thought you were gonna kiss me at first. When you gr-grabbed my bell, I mean," he stammered, looking quite embarrassed.

Marinette giggled and rested her chin in her hand, "I wasn't sure _what_ to do; I kinda did it without thinking."

"Hey. Doing stuff without thinking is supposed to be _my_ job," he remarked with a humorous lilt to his voice.

Marinette snickered, "Maybe we should both _look before we leap_?"

Adrien's intense gaze caused her breath to catch in her throat, "Have I told you how much I love you? Cause I'll shout it to the _heavens_ if I need to."

Marinette hummed thoughtfully, "That 'heavens' pun really _fell_ short, Adrien. You're losing your touch."

The blond boy's eyes widened. "You're perfect. I don't deserve you." He breathed, awestruck.

The pigtailed girl giggled loudly, and Adrien joined in simply because her laughter was contagious.

"If I knew the way to your heart was through puns and cheesy pickup lines, I would've done this a lot sooner," she teased.

"You _are_ my heart, Mari," he flirted; his expression was vulnerable despite the grandeur of his words.

A gagging sound emitted from Adrien's suit pocket.

The teenagers laughed, their voices blending together in an intricate duet that seemed just as natural as crashing waves or the wind whistling through the trees.


	36. Disparity

**The ending of this chapter is, in my opinion, the best thing I've ever written.**

 **Also, if you enjoy this story, check out my latest one shot (will probably become a collection too, tbh) titled "Deception". If you think it sounds like a play on this story's title, you're right! It's basically "Perception" turned on its head!**

* * *

 **Disparity**

Ladybug rolled her eyes as she rushed through the horrorstricken crowd of civilians. Of all the things she expected to fight, a clothing based akuma was probably on the bottom of the list.

She jumped over a fallen man, who seemed to have tripped due to his new wardrobe. She couldn't judge him too harshly; stiletto heels weren't for the faint of heart.

Adrien was at a photoshoot, but Ladybug estimated that he'd be released soon since the akuma was quickly approaching his location. Until he escaped, she was on her own.

She rounded a corner in time to catch sight of Hawkmoth's latest villain. She was dressed in a sleek outfit that looked like a fashionable blend of activewear and a stereotypical ninja costume.

She pulled two sewing-needle-shaped throwing knives from hidden pockets near her waist. With incredible precision, she hurled them at two retreating civilians.

Ladybug gasped in horror, but relaxed when she realized that they were relatively unharmed.

The woman and man stared down at their respective outfit changes.

"My clothes! They're so…comfortable!" the woman exclaimed, looking quite bewildered.

The man wobbled on unsteady legs as he tugged at his suddenly formfitting shirt.

"Why doesn't anything fit right?" he exclaimed, trying in vain to put his wallet in the fake pocket of his jeans.

"These aren't even real pockets!" another man shrieked from the other side of the street.

The akumatized woman cackled madly as she watched the men do their best to skitter away in heels and ill-fitting pants.

"Feel our pocketless pain!" the akuma shouted, raising another needle shuriken as she aimed at a retreating man's back.

Ladybug swiftly used her yoyo to knock the needle from the woman's hand.

"Your makeover rampage is over," the spotted superheroine commanded.

The akumatized woman turned to Ladybug with a cocky grin, "I make the rules now, and _I_ say we're just getting started!"

Ladybug was forced to jump away when the villain rushed her. The woman moved with grace and practiced form as she fought against Ladybug, ducking and weaving and even redirecting the hero's attacks.

Her eyes widened as she considered the distinctly ninja-like elements of the woman's outfit. It seemed that the dark attire wasn't only for looks, as her fighting style was very advanced compared to the previous akumas.

The woman pulled out a small metal handbag on a long chain and began to swing it about in a similar fashion to Ladybug's yoyo.

The superheroine squeaked as she parried a strike from the purse kusarigama, and tried to follow up with a surprise attack while the akuma reeled her weapon back in. It seemed she was prepared for such a counterattack, though.

She whipped out a needle shuriken and hurled it at Ladybug, missing her by a few centimeters.

"Since I'm late to the party, are you gonna introduce me to your new friend, Ladybug?" a familiar voice drawled from atop a building.

The red suited hero visibly relaxed at the sound of her partner's voice. The akumatized woman simply smiled at him and twirled her purse weapon lazily.

"We're not friends, so I'll introduce myself. I am Lady Disparity, and I'll make sure everyone understands the inconvenience of women's fashion. Uncomfortable clothes and tiny pockets will become a thing of the past," the akuma declared with a defiant jerk of her head.

Ladybug blinked and turned to her partner as he landed beside her.

"Is it bad that I kind of agree with her a little bit?" Ladybug asked, a sheepish smile on her face.

Chat Noir raised an eyebrow and looked around, "Well. It doesn't look like she's really causing that much damage-"

A needle shuriken sailed through the air and struck Chat Noir square in the chest. In a puff of smoke, his outfit was transformed.

He glanced down with a disbelieving frown, "I look exactly the same. Except my shoes are super uncomfortable."

Ladybug snickered, "Your pockets are gone. And your shoes are uncomfortable because they're platform heels."

The cat themed superhero got a closer look at his footwear and groaned, "Not again!"

Lady Disparity cackled as she whirled her purse around, winding up to strike once again. Ladybug glanced over at her partner, who seemed to be rather balanced despite his high-heeled shoes.

Surely, they could pull it off regardless of Chat Noir's footwear.

As usual, Lucky Charm turned the tide of the battle in their favor. Chat Noir, though a bit clumsier due to Lady Disparity's makeover, fought with almost no noticeable difference in effectiveness.

When Ladybug released the butterfly, she turned to her partner with a proud grin.

"Great job, Chat. I don't know if _I_ could fight that well in heels!" she complimented him, sincerity obvious in her expression.

He smirked and invaded her personal space, "Do I get a victory kiss?"

She laughed and ruffled his hair, "Not in front of the cameras, silly."

The cat themed superhero pouted a bit, but let it drop easily enough when the previously akumatized woman scrambled to her feet.

"W-What happened?" she asked, scrambling to her feet and clutching her newly repaired purse in her hands.

"You were akumatized, but don't worry! Everything's back to the way it was before," Ladybug assured her, placing a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder.

The lady frowned at her bag, "I thought if I was going to get akumatized, it would at least be for something…reasonable."

Chat Noir frowned and settled a clawed hand on the woman's shoulder, "People get akumatized for all kinds of reasons. You didn't do anything wrong."

She laughed humorlessly, "I'm a martial arts specialist, so I almost never carry a purse, but my new _Gabriel_ slacks didn't have pockets. The last thing I remember is spilling coffee all over the bag and ruining my phone. It's a ridiculous reason to be akumatized!"

Ladybug shook her head, "No way! You're not alone in feeling like women's clothes aren't practical enough."

Her eyes narrowed calculatingly, and she drummed her fingers against her arm as she thought. Chat Noir's eyes widened as he saw the stubborn set of her jaw.

That look could only mean that someone was going to be in trouble.

"In fact, I'm going to do something about it!" she exclaimed, hands on her hips.

The woman's expression brightened remarkably.

"Really?" she asked, a wide grin stretching across her face.

"Really," Ladybug assured her.

The spotted superheroine turned to her partner with an indomitable fire in her eyes that turned his brain into mush. Ladybug spun around and unhooked her yoyo from her hip.

"Let's go! I've got a mission to accomplish," she called over her shoulder. Ladybug took a graceful leap onto the nearest roof and swung off in the direction of the bakery.

Chat Noir sighed dreamily as he watched her go.

"You two are so cute," the newly cleansed woman cooed.

The blond boy brightened and gave her a quick salute, "Thanks. Hope your day gets better!"

With that, he vaulted onto the roof and took off in the same direction as Ladybug.

… -break- …

Adrien's heart pounded in his chest as he trailed behind Marinette, who was marching up the stark white stairs of Agreste Mansion with a very _Ladybug_ ferocity blazing behind her eyes.

On a normal day, he would probably swoon. But then again, on a normal day, Marinette wasn't on her way to confront his father and criticize his designs.

Natalie spotted the two teenagers moving toward the intimidating doors of Gabriel Agreste's office, and rushed over in an effort to head them off. Adrien knew it was a futile endeavor. When Marinette set her mind to something, she was like a wrecking ball: unstoppable and destructive.

Nathalie hurried behind Marinette, heels clicking against the marble floor as she struggled to keep up, "I'm sorry, but Mr. Agreste is busy designing right now-"

"Perfect," the pigtailed girl interrupted, just before slamming the large, heavy doors open in an impressive feat of strength.

Gabriel flinched at the sudden noise, and turned an absolutely icy glare on the intruders. The temperature of the room dropped a few degrees.

Natalie glowered at Adrien, who gave her a wry smile before rushing into the office after Marinette.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, practically oozing displeasure at having been interrupted in the middle of his creative process.

"I have some complaints," Marinette announced, squaring her shoulders against his frigid scowl. Adrien paled and took a tiny step to the left, as if Marinette could shield him from the brunt of his father's wrath.

"And who are _you_?" Gabriel drawled, inspecting her over the rim of his glasses. His question and demeanor were intended to make her feel insignificant, but she was largely unaffected.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, winner of your hat competition last year and aspiring designer," she announced bravely.

The man raised an eyebrow and steepled his fingers, "And you barged into my office to demand that I hire you because winning my competition gave you illusions of grandeur. You are sorely mistaken if you believe that this behavior will-"

"Forgive my interruption, but that's not why I'm here. If I wanted a job with your company, I'd apply just like everyone else," Marinette explained in a firm voice.

Gabriel Agreste paused for a few seconds, shifting almost imperceptibly in his seat. "Then what _are_ you doing here, Miss Dupain-Cheng?"

She stepped forward, radiating confidence with every fiber of her being. "Your company is known for producing quality garments. Every fabric used for _Gabriel_ clothing is top of the line, and every piece is meticulously true to size. The problem is, your designs are lacking in something I think is very important."

Gabriel's face twitched infinitesimally, and Adrien's back reflexively went ramrod straight in response.

"And what would that be?" he inquired, voice carefully controlled.

"Practicality," Marinette answered with an assertive bob of her head.

"Are you saying my clothes aren't practical, Miss Dupain-Cheng?" Gabriel queried in a cautionary tone.

"Your women's garments don't have pockets. I'd call that impractical," Marinette replied matter-of-factly.

Mr. Agreste furrowed his brow, "Women's clothing must be streamlined in order to properly accentuate the feminine physique. If you _truly_ are an aspiring designer, that's something you should know already. Bulky folds of fabric take away from the flow of the garment. Besides, women carry handbags. There is no need for pockets."

Marinette shook her head, "Carrying a purse should be an aesthetic choice, not a necessity. The concern of adding bulk to a piece is _no excuse_! There are plenty of ways to integrate pockets into a design while maintaining the structure of the garment."

The man tilted his head to the side as he regarded the dark-haired girl before him. There was a distinctly calculating look in his eye, and Marinette held her ground under his intimidating stare.

"What methods would you suggest, then?" he asked, folding his hands atop his desk.

The girl's confrontational visage melted away into a warm smile as she unzipped her pocketbook and pulled out a small sketchpad. The change in her demeanor was so pronounced that Nathalie's jaw dropped in surprise.

Marinette practically bounced over to the desk, flipped the book open to the first page, and laid it down on the desk before Mr. Agreste.

"I hope you don't mind, but I drew a few things from your Fall collection to demonstrate how I'd go about altering them to add pockets. This first dress would maintain its structural integrity if the pockets sewn into the seam right there," Marinette explained, pointing to the sketch on the paper to emphasize her words as she spoke.

Gabriel remained silent as he flipped through the sketchbook, taking time to study every sketch before moving on to the next.

"I'll take your suggestions into consideration," he allowed, closing the book and meeting her eyes.

"I sure hope so. It would be so nice to purchase a _Gabriel_ dress that I wouldn't have to alter," Marinette remarked, throwing the famous fashion designer a pointed grin.

The faintest of smiles pulled at the corners of Gabriel's lips, and he glanced back down at the sketchbook.

"Before you leave, I'll have Nathalie make copies of your sketches for my reference," he replied. Something warm danced behind his eyes, threatening to thaw the ice that resided there. Adrien blinked, almost convinced that it was a trick of the light.

Marinette gave a cheerful shake of her head, "No need! Consider it a gift."

Gabriel nodded thoughtfully, "Thank you, Miss Dupain-Cheng."

The dark haired girl turned on her heel, gave Adrien a saucy wink, and sauntered out of the room like she hadn't practically kicked down the door to get in.

Nathalie eyed her distrustfully as she left, and only returned her attention to her boss when the girl exited the front door.

Gabriel cleared his throat, and every eye in the room settled on him.

"Adrien."

The blond boy fought off a flinch at hearing his name.

"Yes, Father?" he replied easily enough.

"The world could use more people like Miss Dupain-Cheng. She is a driven and self-sufficient young lady. From the looks of this sketchbook, she has a bright future ahead of her in the fashion industry," Mr. Agreste mused, flipping through Marinette's sketchbook once again.

Adrien tried to maintain a poker face, but he could feel the lovesick smile fighting its way to the surface.

"She's amazing," he agreed, grateful that his father was still looking at the sketches instead of at him.

"Tenacious, too. …She reminded me a bit of your mother," Mr. Agreste admitted, finally meeting Adrien's eyes.

The blond boy grinned, "Yeah. Mom was pretty stubborn too."

Silence fell over the room, and Adrien knew that the moment was too perfect to pass up.

"Speaking of Marinette, she's actually my girlfriend," Adrien blurted, wincing at his botched delivery.

Gabriel's head shot up, "Excuse me?"

Adrien flushed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Marinette. We're in a pretty serious relationship?"

The man frowned, though not in a displeased way.

"Son, I approve of your interest in such a dedicated and self-reliant woman…but she's much too old for you."

Adrien blinked in confusion, "How old do you think Marinette _is_?"

Gabriel straightened his tie and sat back in his chair with the confidence of a king, "She's obviously sixteen."

The blond boy narrowed his eyes at the man, "How old do you think _I_ am?"

The fashion designer frowned at his son, "I am getting the impression that I was mistaken in assuming that you were twelve."

Nathalie brought the palm of her hand to her forehead with a resounding smack, which thankfully concealed the loud snort that emanated from Adrien's shirt pocket.

The blond boy's eye twitched just once. "I'm going to my room," he deadpanned.

After Adrien was gone, Nathalie shot her boss a scathing look.

"He's _sixteen_ , sir! We talked about this!" she chided, practically shaking with frustration. A muffled bout of deep laughter emanated from the hallway, signifying that the Gorilla had overheard everything.

Gabriel's stony expression finally cracked, giving way to subdued snickering. He dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief, and sighed in the midst of his chuckles.

"That never gets old, Nathalie. Did you see the look on his face?" Gabriel chortled, patting himself on the back for a job well done.

The severe woman sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose between her forefingers.

The Agreste family's sense of humor was going to be the death of her.


	37. Puzzle

**Ask, and ye shall receive.**

* * *

 **Puzzle**

If someone had asked Marinette how she thought her day would go, she probably wouldn't have said "hiding from Chloé on the roof of the school during lunch break."

Yet, there she sat.

"It was going to come out eventually," Alya replied, placing a comforting hand on her best friend's shoulder.

"Yes, and you were able to get away pretty quickly," Tikki chirped. The kwami floated before Marinette with an encouraging smile.

The pigtailed girl groaned, "By running away and leaving my boyfriend to deal with the fallout!"

"To be fair, he should've told her himself. Chloé's _his_ friend, not yours," Alya commented, adjusting her glasses with an amused chuckle as she recalled the event.

The day had started out normally enough. Marinette overslept and skidded into class at the last minute.

Nothing strange there.

She was in such a rush that she didn't notice when her foot caught on the steps as she headed for her seat. She toppled forward, and squeezed her eyes shut as she braced for impact with the floor.

Adrien snatched her out of the air with practiced ease, pulling her into his chest with lightening speed. Marinette flushed as he grinned down at her.

"Falling for me _again_ , Mari?" he murmured.

She scowled at his positively Chat-like grin, "Hey! Get your own pickup lines."

He hummed, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Princess."

"I'm not flattered. I'm annoyed," she deadpanned as she extricated herself from his arms. Alya tensed as she realized that Adrien was flirting _in school_.

" _What is going on_?" Chloé hissed.

Marinette froze in place, her eyes going as wide as saucers. The entire class's attention was focused on them, and Adrien paled significantly. Alya gaped in horror as she watched Chloe's sharp blue eyes dart between Adrien and Marinette as she tried to assemble the pieces of the puzzle.

"Marinette and Adrien are going out," Alix supplied, looking rather bored of the whole thing.

Alya shot the pink haired girl a glare that could shatter glass.

Miss Bustier looked like she wanted to crawl under the table.

Ivan trembled in fear.

Rose actually _did_ crawl under a table.

Lila grinned madly.

Alix frowned, "What, was it a secret?"

Chloé's face remained carefully neutral as she turned to Adrien. "Is this true?" she inquired in a controlled voice.

He gulped and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Yeah."

In a blur of motion, Marinette leapt over Adrien's desk and rushed out the door as if the classroom was on fire.

"Sorry!" she called over her shoulder as she went.

"I don't think she was sorry at all," Nino mused, huddling down in his seat as he prepared to face Chloé's rage.

Alya jumped from her seat so quickly that she knocked the bench over, "I better go check on her!"

Chloé tried to head her off, but Alya was too fast. The blonde girl darted from the room, determined to follow Alya in order to find Marinette.

"Chloé! Wait!" Adrien called, running out behind her.

Miss Bustier watched them go with narrowed eyes.

"Anyone else feel the need to run out of here and contribute to that trainwreck?" she remarked as she scanned the faces of the remaining students.

Everyone who was left shook their heads rapidly, conveying their reluctance to be a part of the situation.

She sniffed and smoothed her hair, "Good. Lessons are cancelled for today, and I'm ordering a cake."

The class cheered in excitement at the prospect of an impromptu class party.


	38. Escapades

**What? Rosalind2013 updated Perception? Is this a trick?**

 **Nope, it's real.**

 **It's pretty short, but I feel like I covered all the ground I wanted to cover, so I'm happy with it.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Escapades**

Adrien fumbled with the tape as he tried to keep the edges of the wrapping paper smoothed down. As cultured and multilingual as he was, wrapping gifts wasn't in his skill set. As his hand trailed across the top of the package, he yelped in surprise when a sharp pain jolted his finger.

"Ugh, papercut," he mumbled as he drew his thumb to his lips in an effort to ease the sting.

Plagg snickered, "A toddler could do a better job."

Adrien glared at his kwami, thumb still in his mouth. His gift wrapping attempt may not look professional, but it was certainly not sloppy.

The boy huffed and narrowed his eyes a bit more, "You could help, you know."

The cat kwami grinned, "Where's the fun in that?"

Adrien rolled his eyes and taped the bow into place on top of the box. He inspected the gift a bit more before nodding in approval, "Well, that should do it. Time to get going."

He turned on his heel and grabbed his jacket from the closet before snatching his phone off of the dresser. Adrien habitually checked the time on his phone screen and nearly dropped it.

"Ahh! I'm supposed to be there in two minutes!" Adrien wailed.

Plagg stretched out on the pillow and lazily cracked one eye open, "Oh no. Guess we'll have to stay home."

The blond boy smirked at the kwami, "I don't think so. Plagg, Claws Out!"

The tiny cat creature whined in disappointment as he was pulled into the ring. The teenage superhero snatched the present from his desk and unlatched his window before leaping out.

Soon, Adrien was barreling over the rooftops at top speed. Though he was in a rush, he always had time to be thankful for his alter-ego. After all, how many teenagers got to run around in a magical super suit?

He vaulted over a particularly thrilled group of children, giving them a quick salute as he passed by.

In virtually no time at all, he was rushing up the stairs to Marinette's house with the gift safely tucked under his arm. He rapped on the door and tried to catch his breath while he waited for someone to open it. He was still a bit winded when Sabine Dupain-Cheng answered the door and eyed him with a puzzled look.

Adrien glanced into the room behind her, which was decorated with pink streamers and balloons. The smell of cake drifted from within, and his stomach growled to remind him of the meal he accidentally skipped. He took a quick look at the clock that hung on the wall behind Sabine and sighed in relief.

"I made it just in time," he remarked with a pleased grin.

"Oh, did he finally show up?" Alya teased from somewhere out of sight.

Adrien ignored her and entered the living room, placing his gift on the coffee table on the way to the dining room. Tom, Nino, and Alya were all busy setting the table, but stopped when he walked in with Sabine right behind him.

"Sorry I couldn't get here earlier, I got a little carried away with the wrapping paper and lost track of time," he explained with a sheepish grin.

Tom tilted his head to the side, "We weren't exactly expecting you to be here, so no worries!"

Alya blinked, "Um, don't you have somewhere to be?"

Adrien furrowed his brow, "I cleared my schedule for Mari's birthday, remember?"

Nino nodded, "Oh cool. Mary who lives across the street?"

Alya made a few wild hand gestures, and Adrien figured it had something to do with the fact that Nino seemed to think he was funny.

The blond boy crossed his arms and opened his mouth to retort, but was distracted by the sound of his girlfriend's voice.

"I have the silverware!" Marinette announced as she emerged from the kitchen with a tray and a broad smile. She locked eyes with her boyfriend and immediately fumbled.

"Gah!" she shrieked as the tray slipped from her fingers.

Adrien's hands shot out instinctively, and he caught it with ease.

"Careful, Princess," he said with a loving smile.

Instead of moving to take the tray back, she stood frozen and gaped like a fish. He frowned and moved to hand the tray back to her.

"What's wrong-" he began, glancing down at the tray.

Two gloved, clawed hands held the tray out, and suddenly his friends' behavior made sense. The blond boy lapsed into horrified silence.

He'd forgotten to detransform.

His mind raced as he tried to think of a way out of this situation. What could he say? What could he do?

"Come sit down, _Adrien_ ," Sabine called, motioning to a seat beside her.

Marinette spluttered, and her hands flailed around her face in jerky motions, "What? Adrien! You think- No way. He's definitely not-"

"You too, _Ladybug_ ," Tom called with a knowing grin.

Marinette squeaked, and Chat Noir detransformed in a flash of green light. Adrien rubbed the back of his neck as he glanced between Marinette and her parents. A slow grin stretched across his face.

"I guess the cat's ou-"

Marinette slapped a hand over his mouth, effectively cutting him off. If she was going to have to explain her secret superhero escapades on her birthday, she was going to do it without bad cat puns.

Nino cleared his throat, "So, uh... Can we eat?"

Alya groaned in defeat and dropped her head onto the table with a thud.


	39. Chaos

**I actually have an announcement to make. I planned for Chapter 40 to be the last chapter. I've already written the ending of this series, but when I looked over this collection as a whole, I realized that it would be so much more balanced and well rounded if I extended the length.**

 **I've decided to aim for 50 chapters as of now. My updates will be sporadic (what else is new) because my life is pretty hectic right now, so I'll do my best!**

 **Also, apologies to everyone who didn't receive a thank you for their review! I've read all of them, but I honestly can't remember who I thanked and who I didn't! (I'm very grateful nevertheless)**

* * *

 **Chaos**

Alya grimaced as she overlooked the chaos that had overtaken the city of love. Her camera was trained on the action, but the Ladyblogger herself seemed torn between indifference and frustration.

A pillar of purple flames sprung up from a building in the distance, and the raised voices of frightened Parisians melded into the cacophony of noises that blanketed the city. Alya squeaked as something grabbed her from behind and lifted her into the air.

"Please be Ladybug. Please be Ladybug. Please be Ladybug," she chanted, eyes screwed shut against the rush of wind that threatened to steal her breath away.

"Guess again, Alya Cesaire!" a deep voice replied with a mocking cackle.

Alya peeked up at her abductor. The man offered her a sharp smile as his broad wings easily kept them aloft.

She blinked, "Oh snap."

"Put her down!" a familiar voice commanded.

The trill of firm confidence in Ladybug's voice commanded attention, and was immediately recognizable. Alya sighed in relief despite the fact that she was being carried several kilometers above the pavement.

"You won't catch me, Ladybug! I am far more powerful than you could ever hope to be!" the villain called.

The spotted superheroine rolled her eyes from her place atop the building across from them.

"If overconfidence is a superpower, I'd say you're right," Ladybug quipped. Chat Noir alighted on the rooftop beside her with an impish grin stretched across his face.

"Nice one, My Lady," he quipped. Ladybug snickered as she bumped her knuckles against his offered fist.

The man let loose a low chuckle that was imbued with just enough 'essence of cartoon villain' to be cheesy.

"I'll teach you not to disrespect your betters, Ladybug," he responded with a malicious sneer.

Alya's eyes widened in horror. "Why'd you provoke him?" she hissed.

The superhero team seemed to realize their mistake, and clapped their hands over their ears just before the akumatized villain let loose a cry that shattered several windows in the general vicinity.

"CA CAW! CA CAW!"

Chat Noir whirled around to guard Ladybug's back as another fighter appeared in a puff of smoke.

The cat themed superhero snickered, "What's next, Night Hawk? _Windy_ _Weather_? Banjo Hero? Oh wait, you already did that one."

Ladybug groaned as the latest minion stepped forward and struck a hero pose.

Alya crossed her arms, certain that even Night Hawk had forgotten about her.

"Noooo! Anyone but _her_!" the superheroine whined with a stomp of her foot.

"I'll bring you to justice, Ladybug!" Lightning Bug exclaimed. Her outfit glowed brilliant orange as she took to the air on transparent wings.

"Don't worry, Bugaboo. I'll take her. You focus on Night Hawk," Chat Noir murmured with a flick of his tail.

Lightning Bug suddenly giggled, "Oooh who's that?"

Ladybug blinked, "Who?"

The winged woman clasped her hands behind her back, "The cutie with the cat ears!"

The pigtailed superhero took a step closer to her partner, bristling. "This is getting out of hand," she huffed.

"We need to find his akumatized item," Chat Noir agreed.

"CA CAW!" Night Hawk shrieked, causing the heroes to cringe.

There was another puff of smoke and a pair of predatory yellow eyes locked on the heroes. The new minion stepped forward with a menacing snarl, and then shifted into a pose, holding a clawed hand in front of his face and glaring at the sky.

"Though my heart be as black as this night sky, I must destroy this being that echoes the darkness of my soul," he murmured, glaring daggers at Chat Noir.

The cat boy frowned and pointed at the sky, "It's daytime."

Silver Wolf snarled and launched himself at Chat Noir, "The darkness of the soul is eternal!"

They tumbled over the rooftops as they fought, and Chat Noir broke away long enough to complain that his statement made no sense. Meanwhile, Ladybug and Lightning Bug zipped through the air as they battled, flashes of pink and orange sparked with every clash of their weapons.

Night Hawk cackled above them, wings beating strong gusts of wind down on the battle, still holding a rather bored Alya in his talons.

She yawned as she continued recording the battle. It seemed that Lightning Bug had more mobility than Ladybug due to her wings, but Ladybug was much more nimble. Chat Noir and Silver Wolf might have been evenly matched if the latter didn't see the need to stop and pose every few seconds.

"So what's your motivation?" Alya demanded, pointing the camera at Night Hawk's face.

He blinked in surprise, verifying Alya's suspicion that he'd forgotten she was there.

His eyes narrowed in anger at the reminder of the target of his ire, "Your second-rate blog!"

Alya narrowed her eyes, "My blog?"

He scoffed, " _Of course_ you don't remember. Your silly article alleged that Stupendous was nothing but a cheap knockoff of Ladybug and Chat Noir's adventures!"

"But it is!" Alya argued.

"It is _not_! It is a cinematic masterpiece, complete with an award winning cast!" Night Hawk snarled.

Alya huffed, "What? The only award winning cast member in that entire movie was the guy who played…Night Hawk."

"He gave the best performance of his life, and for what? To become an _internet meme_?" he raged, face going red beneath his beak-like mask.

Alya snorted involuntarily and clapped a hand over her mouth. "Sorry, that's gotta be tough."

He sniffed, "You laughed! How dare you mock me?"

The Ladyblogger held her hands up in a placating manner, "I mean, you've gotta admit, the whole 'Ca Caw' thing is totally meme worthy."

"I'll show the whole city that Night Hawk is a name to be feared, not a name to be memed!" he bellowed.

Alya grinned as her eyes zeroed in on the suspiciously phone-sized compartment on his utility belt.

"Hey, Ladybug!" she called; garnering the attention of the superheroine. Ladybug had managed to tangle Lightning Bug up in a human-sized butterfly net, courtesy of Lucky Charm.

As soon as Alya locked eyes with her, she reached into Night Hawk's pocket and snatched the phone. She had just enough time to see the flickering butterfly insignia on the screen before earning a howl of rage from the movie villain.

She dropped the phone, hoping that it would land somewhere near Ladybug. The phone would break, the akuma would be released, and Ladybug would capture it.

The Ladyblogger shrieked and screwed her eyes shut as Night Hawk's talons released her arms in midair as he dove for the falling device. Before she even had time to properly fear for her life, she was snatched out of the air by a superhero.

Alya slumped in relief as the boy touched down on the rooftop, "Thanks-"

"No need to thank me. My instinct to protect is extended to all of the city," Silver Wolf exclaimed, still holding Alya bridal style.

"You're so noble!" Lightning Bug squealed from within her spotted prison.

Chat Noir snorted as he vaulted onto the rooftop beside the _Stupendous_ hero, who promptly dumped Alya onto the roof tiles in favor of grappling with the black cat.

"Your persistence is a-mew-sing, but you cannot defeat me," Silver Wolf remarked with a sharp grin.

"You'd be a little more intimidating if your outfit wasn't such a fashion _faux_ _paw_. Fur was _so_ last season," Chat Noir teased, easily evading Silver Wolf's attack.

"My ego may be fragile, but a cat could never hurt my _felines_ ," Silver Wolf snapped.

Chat Noir blinked in surprise, "Uh… That's _ruff_ , buddy."

"That pun. It was too…far _fetched_ ," Silver Wolf replied.

The bespectacled girl glared daggers at the wolf themed 'superhero', and promptly extended her leg as he stepped backward.

His arms pinwheeled as he struggled to keep his balance, and Chat Noir took advantage of his distraction to kick him into the waiting door of the stairwell. Alya slammed it shut behind him, and Chat Noir placed his staff into the handle to lock him inside.

"NO! My wild heart cannot be caged!" Silver Wolf howled from inside the stairwell.

Alya scoffed and trained the camera on Chat Noir, "Did Ladybug get the phone?"

He grinned, "I'm sure she did."

They heard the call of "Miraculous Ladybug" in the distance just before the magic washed over Paris. Alya was particularly thrilled that Lightning Bug and Silver Wolf disappeared, as she had no desire to ever see them again.

"Well, there you have it, Ladybloggers! Another win for Ladybug and Chat Noir," she announced. Ladybug swung up onto the roof and skidded to a stop in front of her partner, grinning as she offered him their customary fist bump.

Their Miraculouses beeped simultaneously, and Alya turned the camera off as she whirled to face the cat boy.

"So why was I rescued by Silver Wolf?" she demanded, arms crossed over her chest as she stared him down.

Chat Noir chortled and wiped a tear from his eye, "I'm sorry, Alya. I was prepared to catch you, honest! He just beat me to it."

Ladybug snickered, "You were outdone by _Silver Wolf_ , Chat?"

The blond boy shook with laughter, " _Howl_ was I supposed to know he'd catch her?"

Alya rubbed circles into her temples, "Please stop. I've had enough puns to last a lifetime. Silver Wolf was even worse than you."

Ladybug nodded miserably, "Tell me about it."

The superheroes ducked into the stairwell as their Miraculouses timed out, and Alya walked down the flights with them.

"That was possibly the most annoying akuma I've ever fought," Marinette admitted, arms crossed over her chest.

"Why? Because Night Hawk could literally create unlimited knock offs of villains you've already fought before, or because Lightning Bug couldn't keep her mitts off your man?" Alya inquired with a knowing smirk.

"Both are valid reasons," Marinette growled. Her fists were clenched at her sides as she stomped down the stairs. Adrien chuckled softly and wrapped an arm around her waist.

Alya smiled as she watched her best friend's rage putter out in the face of Adrien's affection.

"Well, at least the school isn't on fire anymore," Adrien remarked.

Alya nodded in agreement, "True that."


	40. Intentional

**I snuck away from my responsibilities to proofread this and post it. I don't know if it makes you guys feel better or worse to know that this was sitting on my computer for about a month. It was literally complete _the whole time_ and I didn't realize it!**

 **Sorry!**

 **Anyway, have some Adrinette. (Adrienette?) *shrugs***

* * *

 **Intentional**

Adrien shivered as the cold winter air cut straight through his perfectly fitted suit jacket. It was one of many, and he still couldn't comprehend how it was different from the five other charcoal grey suits that hung in his enormous closet.

A gentle pressure on his arm reminded him of his girlfriend's presence, and he turned to her with a smile.

Marinette looked lovely. She wore a floor length evening gown in a sophisticated blush pink color. It was high necked and open shouldered, and it was all he could do to keep his eyes focused on their destination instead of on her.

The tip of his shoe caught on one of the steps, and he managed to smoothly save himself from taking a tumble. Never was he more grateful for all the practice he got as Chat Noir. After all, Marinette was currently attached to his arm, and the last thing he wanted was to pull her down with him.

No one in the gathered crowd seemed to notice his momentary loss of balance, but Marinette's quiet chuckle told him that _she_ most definitely did. He leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"You knock me off of my feet, My Lady."

Marinette gave him a sly look, "Oh, that wasn't me. You're perfectly capable of tripping all on your own."

He laughed and returned his attention to getting through the doors of the Bourgeois Gala in one piece. He didn't know if there was anything that thrilled him more than her banter.

Once inside, they were met with the fragrance of the bountiful floral arrangements.

An impressive layer cake sat on the table to their right, and Marinette beamed with pride over her parents' creation. She'd seen nearly the whole process, so she knew how much care they put into that cake.

Smartly dressed guests milled past them, laughing politely at an acquaintance's jokes or complimenting someone's wardrobe. It was all very rehearsed, whereas Marinette seemed to throw the script to the wind. She was unfailingly intentional with everyone she met, and he loved that about her.

While she admired the cake, Adrien took the opportunity to admire Marinette. Her hand was settled in the crook of his arm, and he felt as if warmth radiated out from that point of contact. A wave of affection crashed over him, and he couldn't help but to duck down and press a light kiss to her cheek.

Her mouth formed a little 'o' of surprise as she turned a questioning look on him. Her cheeks were stained with the slightest blush as he gave her free hand a gentle squeeze and gazed into her eyes.

"I love you," he murmured.

She gave him a tender smile and nearly bowled him over with the force of her hug. He swayed a bit, but regained his equilibrium quickly enough. He'd be a poor superhero if he weren't any good at catching his partner.

"I love you too," she replied, voice muffled by the fabric of his shirt. He sighed in contentment at the feeling of Marinette wrapped in his arms, and Adrien reveled in the fact that she _actually_ returned his feelings.

"Adrien," a cool voice interjected, jarring the blond boy from his warm fuzzy thoughts.

Marinette shifted so that she could face the newcomer. She was the picture of poise, even though she remained nestled against Adrien's side.

Gabriel Agreste stood before them, his countenance a mask of unflappable indifference. Somehow, he managed to look annoyed despite his complete lack of expression.

"I understand that you are infatuated with Ms. Dupain-Cheng, but _do_ try to acknowledge _other_ guests while at a social gathering of this caliber," the fashion mogul stated.

Adrien wilted a bit under his father's scrutinizing gaze, "Yes, Father."

Gabriel nodded to himself and clasped his hands behind his back, "This would also be a good opportunity to introduce her to some important people. Networking is everything, especially in the fashion world."

Adrien perked up at the feedback, and Marinette smiled at seeing a moment of bonding, no matter how small.

"That's great advice. Thank you, Mr. Agreste," Marinette replied with a respectful dip of her head.

The fashion designer cleared his throat a bit awkwardly and averted his gaze, "Yes, well… Don't waste any time."

Adrien beamed and shifted so that Marinette could loop her arm through his once again.

He nodded at his father and turned to lead Marinette across the floor of the gigantic ballroom, "We won't! Excuse us."

They walked around a bit while Adrien introduced Marinette to a lot of his father's associates. She noticed that many of them seemed rather charmed by Adrien, as if their defenses fell down as soon as they locked eyes with him.

It was quite a feat, given that most people in the room behaved as if there were thick walls separating them from everyone else. In the face of Adrien's smile, though, those walls came down.

Marinette loved that about him.

The woman before them was on the board of executives that organized Paris Fashion week, and she most definitely looked the part. She wore an exquisite floor length navy dress that draped just perfectly on her slender frame. Marinette wished she could reach out and feel the fabric, but she knew it was probably not proper etiquette.

"How is Jeanne? Is she feeling any better?" Adrien inquired, emerald eyes brimming with sympathy.

The woman softened at the mention of her loved one, "Yes, she's doing much better on her new diet. She hasn't had much trouble since the switch."

"Madame Raphaëlle's daughter was diagnosed with Celiac Disease," Adrien explained to his girlfriend, whose brow creased in concern.

"How old is she?" Marinette inquired.

"She will be twelve in two months," Madame Raphaëlle replied steadily.

The dark haired girl frowned, "Oh, that must be so hard for someone her age! So many tasty foods are full of gluten. She must feel so left out."

Madame Raphaëlle sighed and wrung her hands, "Yes, that's the trouble. She doesn't _like_ her food anymore."

Marinette tapped her chin thoughtfully, "You know, my parents are very knowledgeable about gluten free recipes. They've taken special classes on food allergies with dieticians. I could point you their way, if you like."

The woman blinked in surprise, and met Marinette's gaze with an air of thankfulness.

"How very kind of you, Madamoiselle… Marinette, was it? I'd very much like to converse with your parents if they know as much as you say." Madame Raphaëlle replied.

Marinette grinned and procured a business card from her silver handbag.

"I'll let them know to look out for your call then," she said before placing the card in the woman's waiting hand.

Madame Raphaëlle's eyebrows rose as she looked over the business card, "Oh! I know this patisserie! Jeanne's favorite cookies are from there."

The dark haired girl beamed with pride, "In that case, I'm positive they could make a gluten free version of those cookies, Madame."

Madame Raphaëlle cracked a grateful smile, "That would be wonderful. Thank you."

She turned to Adrien and gestured toward a gathering of men in impeccable suits.

"You should introduce her to Valentin. I think he would like her," the woman suggested.

Adrien's eyes widened, and he glanced between Madame Raphaëlle and the group of men. Marinette sensed his unease, and wondered if it would be a good time to pretend she needed to use the restroom.

The woman chuckled and gently steered them in that direction. The conversation with Valentin went smoothly, despite Adrien's obvious worry. Marinette knew the man was a famous designer, but so was Mr. Agreste, so she wasn't sure what the big deal was.

Then again, _Valentin Fashions_ was _Gabriel_ 's main competitor in the fashion world, so perhaps Adrien simply didn't want to get involved in their rivalry.

Madame Raphaëlle guided them directly to the man who was clearly in charge.

"Valentin, I'd like you to meet Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She is an aspiring designer, and very kind," the woman stated matter-of-factly.

Marinette blushed a bit under all of the praise, but she never faltered.

Valentin was a tall, slender man with a soft face. His dark hair was streaked with gray but perfectly quaffed, and his tie was printed with a bright geometric pattern.

Where Gabriel Agreste was cold and intimidating, Valentin Leclair was warm and inviting. Adrien smiled and shook the man's hand, prior discomfort seemingly forgotten.

"Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, did you design that gown you're wearing?" Valentin inquired with a kind smile.

"Yes, sir," Marinette replied politely.

"How lovely! You certainly have an eye for fashion. It's a shame that Gabriel has already snatched you up," he enthused, gesturing wildly as he spoke.

Marinette tilted her head in confusion, "Snatched me up?"

Valentin raised an eyebrow, "You mean you _don't_ work for Gabriel Agreste?"

Marinette chuckled, "I can't say that I do."

The gathered men in business suits gasped in surprise and murmured among themselves.

The graying fashion designer hummed thoughtfully, "My apologies, I just assumed since you were here with young Adrien, and all…"

Adrien's smile was a bit nervous as he patted the slender hand that rested in the crook of his arm, "Marinette doesn't work for my father, she's my plus one."

Valentin's smile widened, "Ah, I see. In that case, please consider me when you're ready for a fashion internship, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng."

Marinette's jaw dropped, "Really?"

"Of course! I would love to have someone like you on my team," Valentin replied, offering her a business card with a sweep of his hand.

Adrien offered her an encouraging grin, and Marinette accepted the card with all the poise and grace of royalty.

"I see that you're as shameless as ever, Valentin," Gabriel's voice cut in, sharp in its intonation.

"A young designer of her caliber should have many good options to choose from when it comes to internships, Gabriel. If she hasn't signed a contract with you yet, there's no reason I can't offer her a spot in my company," Valentin replied with a teasing glint in his eye.

Gabriel Agreste narrowed his eyes at the man, "This is a social gathering, not a recruitment fair. Have some decorum."

"Ha! Recruitment fair? I see you haven't lost your sense of humor, Gabriel. As if either of us would ever hold a _recruitment_ _fair_ ," Valentin exclaimed.

Adrien used their impending feud to slip away, leading Marinette toward the dance floor.

"Sorry about that, Father can't stand Valentin," Adrien explained with an apologetic smile.

Marinette glanced back over her shoulder, "Oh. Is he a bad guy?"

Adrien chuckled softly, "Oh, it's nothing like that. My father just thinks he's a bit…unsophisticated."

"Why? He seemed really well polished to me," Marinette remarked.

Adrien simply shrugged in response.

"I think he'd be a great mentor if you decide to take that internship. He offered it to you personally, so that means you'd be working directly with his lead team," Adrien explained.

"I don't think that's how internships work, Adrien. I'd probably be in an office somewhere at _Valentin Fashions_ and never even see him," Marinette giggled.

Adrien grinned and lowered his voice, "He didn't offer you just any internship, Bugaboo. That's how Valentin's company works. He handpicks _his lead_ _team_ , and lets the hiring managers handle everyone else."

Marinette's eyes widened, "Really? Even his interns?"

Adrien nodded, "You didn't hear this from me, but Valentin's offer is better than anything my father would offer you."

The dark haired girl smiled coyly and straightened her boyfriend's tie, "You're risking your father's wrath for me?"

He felt his cheeks warm a bit under her intense gaze, "You're worth it, My Lady."

Her smile was all the reward he needed.

"Would you like to dance?" Marinette inquired, gently tugging him in the direction of the dance floor. As if the universe knew exactly what they needed, a quick tango beat began to tumble from the well-hidden speakers.

"I'd never refuse a dance with such a lovely lady," he replied with a flirty grin.

Marinette giggled and tapped his nose, "You're such a flirt!"

He took that opportunity to pull her into a spin, dipping her backward as he planted his feet firmly on the smooth marble of the dance floor.

Her eyes were wide with excitement as she gazed up at him, and he gave her a sly wink."It takes two to _tango_ ," he quipped.

Her bluebell eyes sparked with determination, and no sooner had he pulled her upright than she swept right into step with the quick pace of the music.

She windmilled around him with sure steps, though she had considerably less experience with dancing than he did. Regardless of how spur of the moment his next step was, she followed seamlessly.

He could feel the gazes on them as Marinette's dress whipped around them, the fabric light enough to flutter with her movement, but heavy enough not to tangle around her ankles.

She really was a skilled designer, Adrien noted.

The music showed signs of winding down, so Adrien swept Marinette into a quick spin, and ended on a volcada so that they were nearly nose-to-nose when the room fell silent in the absence of the tango music.

It seemed that only the sound of their breath filled the ballroom as they stared into each other's eyes.

Then the spell was broken by thunderous applause.

Marinette squeaked at the sudden noise, and the teenagers jumped apart at realizing that all eyes were on them. The floor had cleared at some point during their dance, all of the affluent members of Parisian high society were watching, and several phones were trained on them.

Adrien smiled shyly and bowed. Marinette followed suit and swept into a curtsey before they both rushed out of the spotlight.

High above the dance floor, in the DJ's stand, Alya Cesaire bumped fists with her boyfriend. It was always nice to see a plan work out as intended.

"Guess it's a good thing you talked me into stalking Adrien and Marinette on their date. The tunes here were horrible," Nino drawled, looking rather satisfied with himself. He was enjoying being the secret DJ a bit too much.

"It's not stalking! It's called digital scrapbooking," Alya remarked, grinning manically as she flipped through the footage she'd ' _collected'_ from the event photographer onsite.

"Whatever you say," Nino replied goodnaturedly.

"Seriously. This is gonna be great stuff to show at their wedding," Alya argued.

Nino simply smiled while his girlfriend continued to explain why the work they'd done there was invaluable. Seeing how much fun Adrien and Marinette had dancing together, Nino had to agree.


	41. Chagrin

**It's been a while since I updated Perception, and it wasn't for lack of trying. The whole concept of the story was for the focus to be on Alya and/or other side characters. It's gotten a bit hard to stay in line with the parameters of my own setup, since I keep wanting to write LadrienetteMarichatNoir fluff. (That's the name I just came up with for a resolved Love Square. Genius, I know)**

 **But FINALLY I've written something that fits neatly into this one shot collection.**

* * *

 **Chagrin**

Paris was in shambles as the latest villain stalked the streets in search of the Miraculouses. Random citizens ran for cover as the battle raged on, clearing the streets and hunkering down in nearby business establishments. Overall, an ordinary day in the City of Love.

Except, the battle had already dragged on for two hours and was showing no signs of wrapping up anytime soon. To add insult to injury, something was on fire in the distance, even though the Akuma was decidedly not flame-related.

The superheroine crashed through the window of her favorite boutique, landing ungracefully on her back amidst the glass shards and mannequins that had broken her fall. The store clerk stared at her with wide eyes, looking almost as dazed as Alya felt.

"Look out!" a distant voice warned, and Alya rolled to her left. A beam struck the spot she'd just vacated, and she growled as she rolled to her feet.

She hurled a mannequin at the akumatized villain, hitting him square in the face and making him stumble backward. Alya grinned at her minor success and jumped back through the broken window and onto the streets. She had to lead him away from the storefronts, where he couldn't hit any civilians.

The superheroine took off at a sprint, ignoring the frustrated shouts of the villain as he chased after her. She sprung up onto the roof, trying to use the higher ground to her advantage. Her muscles ached from the length of the battle, and she found herself wishing she could stop for a nap.

The boy in the black cat costume dropped down and fell into step beside her, panting with exhaustion as he tried to keep pace.

"Where have you been?" Alya demanded, shooting him a mild glare.

He looked unfazed by her harsh tone and gave her a deadpan look. "Uh, keeping the bad guy from hitting you?" he said.

As if to prove his point, he yanked her closer to prevent another beam from making contact with her back. She opened her mouth to thank him, and that was when everything went wrong.

In a spectacular show of ineptitude, she managed to tangle her feet with his and soon they were both tumbling off the roof.

"The yo-yo! Use the yo-yo!" the cat superhero screeched.

Alya twisted around mid-fall and tossed the aforementioned weapon out blindly. Luckily, it caught on something, and she grabbed the other superhero around his middle to stop his descent. They stopped a few feet from the ground, swinging around haphazardly as Alya tried to figure out how to extend the string a little more.

"You can put me down now," the cat boy said. She could do that. The suit would help him land on his feet, right?

She roughly deposited him on the ground, where he definitely did not land on his feet, and then jumped down herself. She somehow managed to land embarrassingly on her bottom instead of the graceful landing she envisioned. She hung her head in defeat, and the black spots that dotted her legs seemed to mock her.

The cat hero glared daggers at her from his place on the ground.

"Don't give me that look! You suck just as much as I do," Alya said.

He sat up and crossed his arms defensively, "Well yeah, but this was your idea!"

"You agreed to it," she accused.

" _Let's be substitute superheroes_ , you said. _It'll be awesome_ , you said," he remarked, clawed hands gesticulating wildly as he spoke.

"This is fun! It is _so_ fun!" Alya-Bug shouted, face almost as red as her suit.

"I wanted to go to the movies," Not-Nino exclaimed, exasperation evident in his tone.

"We can go _after_ we save Paris," she yelled.

"If you two are done, I'd like to take your Miraculouses now," the akumatized man interrupted. He stood calmly, twiddling his thumbs while he waited.

"Not now!" they shouted in unison, making the man flinch away.

The glowing butterfly symbol appeared before his face, but the superheroes ignored it in favor of their squabble. Understandably, Hawkmoth didn't appreciate their blatant disregard for his villain. The akumatized man lurched forward and reached for Alya's borrowed earrings, earning himself a painful kick to the gut from the black cat hero.

In an amazing show of teamwork previously unseen by the substitute duo, Alya immediately jumped in and beat the villain back while Nino snatched his akumatized item and broke it.

Alya-Bug threw the yo-yo out to capture the akuma, and it closed around the black butterfly with a satisfying snap.

"Come here, you little jerk," she muttered under her breath, earning a chuckle from Not-Nino.

Alya tugged the yo-yo back into her hand with a fire in her eyes. She purified the akuma with much less fanfare than Ladybug usually did, released the cleansed butterfly, and watched it flutter away.

"Well, that's over," Alya said, allowing her shoulders to sag in relief.

Not-Nino frowned and pointed to the burning building a few blocks over, and she realized that there were three different types of sirens blaring through the streets. Paris was still locked in a panicked frenzy, much to her chagrin.

Alya fidgeted with the yo yo string, "Oh yeah. Guess I should restore the city, huh?"

Not-Nino smiled and gave her a thumbs-up.

She prepared to perform the Miraculous Cure the way Ladybug had countless times, and froze in place. Her expression went blank with horror as she gazed into the cat hero's eyes.

"I never used Lucky Charm! How do I fix the city?" she asked, voice raising an octave with panic.

Nino blinked, "Oh."

They stood in relative silence for a while, ignoring the blaring of the sirens as they pondered their next course of action.

"We could fess up to Ma- er, Ladybug. I'm sure she'll know what to do," Nino suggested.

Alya threw her hands in the air, "I don't want to tell Ladybug that Paris fell to ruin because she had the flu! It was hard enough to convince her to stay home when she thought we could handle it!"

"To be fair, she never thought we could handle it," Nino said.

"But I told her we could! That makes me a liar!" Alya whined.

Nino shrugged, "Eh, what're ya gonna do?"

Alya-Bug cradled her head in her hands and groaned. After taking a few steadying breaths, Alya narrowed her eyes in determination.

"I will _not_ screw up my first day as a superhero," she declared.

Nino nodded, confident that she would think of something. Alya stared at the yo-yo with a calculating glint in her eye, then tossed it into the air much like Ladybug would toss a Lucky Charm object.

With Ladybug's signature cry, the city was restored to normal, despite the obvious lack of a Lucky Charm item. Alya's shoulders sagged in relief for the second time that day, and she grunted as Not-Nino all but tackled her in a hug.

"Great job," he said, while crushing her against his chest.

She gave him a playful shove, smiling in spite of her attempts to look nonchalant. "If we hurry, we can catch a later showing of that movie you wanted to see," she said.

"That sounds perfect," he replied.

He grinned and vaulted them both onto a nearby roof, at which point they ran in the direction of the movie theater.

In a very pink room above the best bakery in Paris, the two who would normally save Paris sat staring at the computer screen long after the live stream of the battle had ended. The room was quiet enough to hear Marinette's parents bustling around in the kitchen downstairs, presumably making lunch.

Marinette broke the silence by blowing her nose rather loudly, and Adrien dutifully passed her another tissue.

"That was terrifying," she said, once she'd gently wiped her sore red nose.

He nodded in agreement, and hissed in pain as his head throbbed with the motion.

"It would've been worse if we'd tried to fight like this," he reasoned, rubbing his temples in an effort to soothe the headache. He settled back on the chaise he shared with Marinette, trying and failing to get comfortable.

Marinette hummed in agreement and glanced at the clock with a hopeful expression. Her smile fell and she sadly sunk down into her cocoon of blankets. "It isn't time to take more medicine yet," she whined.

Adrien shivered and gathered his own blanket closer around himself, "I hate being sick."

Marinette rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. "I told you to stay away from me if you didn't want to get sick. It's your own fault," she said.

He grinned sleepily and leaned over so that his head rested on her shoulder. "I could never stay away, My Lady."

"Oh, I know. You're pretty clingy for a cat," she joked. Marinette scooted closer to share his heat, despite the fact that they were both clammy and feverish. They dozed off on the chaise, wrapped in piles of blankets and as comfortable as they could possibly be while having the flu.

Two hours later, their nap was interrupted by a booming sound reminiscent of thunder. Marinette blearily glanced out of the window, noting that it was as bright and sunny as it was when they'd fallen asleep.

The previously offline live feed suddenly switched back on and showed another villain rampaging downtown. The sick superheroes groaned and settled in for another terrifying episode of Alya-Bug and Not-Nino.

Their worry was misplaced though, because the substitute heroes remembered to use their special powers that time. Their teamwork reminded her of her own early days as Ladybug, and she gave a quiet cheer whenever they managed to synchronize. Adrien snuggled up against her side, watching the live stream with drowsy enthusiasm.

The battle only took slightly longer than usual, and nothing went up in flames. Marinette smiled; it seemed Alya hadn't been lying when she said they could handle it.


	42. Grey

**What this lacks in length, it makes up for with heart.**

* * *

 **Grey**

Water dribbled sluggishly down the panes of the window, drawing attention to the grey clouds that obscured the sun outside.

 _Drip, drop._

"Memories are like droplets of rain. Snippets of what has been, sprinkling down when you least expect it."

Sometimes they were a gentle drizzle, and sometimes they struck like a flash flood. Sometimes memories were a veritable thunderstorm.

Memories had different intensities.

Some things went forgotten altogether.

"When your life spans millennia, you learn which things are going to be worth remembering."

There was a moment of silence, charged with something that wasn't unlike lightening.

The drizzle outside picked up speed, and rain pounded on the roof to fill the silence.

"Am I worth remembering?"

The Kwami tore his eyes away from the rain and focused on the boy who sat beside him. His blond hair was mussed from sleep, but his bright green eyes were focused.

He was waiting for an answer.

Plagg almost teased him by saying no.

There were droplets of a different sort forming in the boy's eyes though, and the Kwami held his tongue.

"Sure you are," he said with a noncommittal shrug.

He watched as Adrien tried to blink away the tears.

"You hesitated."

Plagg jolted, because his tone was too much like the one he used to speak to his father.

"Because I was trying to be nice," Plagg snapped.

Those summery green eyes were wide, and panic bubbled up within the Kwami of Destruction.

Plagg winced as he realized what that had sounded like, but he couldn't think of a way to successfully take it back.

It was what Plagg was good at, after all.

Destroying things.

But Adrien's expression softened and he reached out to cup Plagg in his hands. The tears had disappeared, leaving warmth and kindness in his gaze.

"Thank you for being nice, Plagg," Adrien said.

Plagg's eyes stung, and he looked anywhere but at Adrien. Somehow, the boy had managed to guess what he meant.

Still, Plagg wanted to make it right.

"You're worth remembering, kid. You're…probably my…best friend," Plagg admitted, annoyed at the waver in his voice.

Then Adrien gave him a tearful smile and drew him closer until the little Kwami was resting against his chest.

"You're my best friend too, Plagg," he said.

The catlike creature allowed his eyes to drift closed, trusting that Adrien wouldn't tease him too badly for wanting to snuggle.

Adrien was very warm and it was rather cold in the room; it made sense.

Plagg wriggled a little closer so that he could listen to the boy's heartbeat. The sound mingled with the gentle rainfall outside, and lulled him into complacency.

 _Drip, drop._

Adrien's thumb gently rubbed behind Plagg's ear, and the Kwami cracked an eye open to look at him. The boy had a gentle smile on his face as he gazed out through the window at the rain.

The outside world was cold and painted with dreary shades of grey, but he felt immeasurably warm.

Plagg knew, without a doubt, that he would remember this moment for centuries to come.


End file.
